Trouble in the Hamptons
by Kavi Leighanna
Summary: The last month of Kate's sick leave in the Hamptons isn't going to be a vacation. Caskett. Around the World Part 3
1. Chapter 1

Around the World Book Three

**Trouble in the Hamptons**

_Chapter 1_

. . . . .

Kate Beckett was content as she sat on a beach towel, head tilted towards the sun and toes buried in warm sand. It had been a long time since she'd been willing to just sit in the late summer sun, staring out in the cascading waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Of course, she'd never really expected herself to be in the situation she was currently in. Three months ago she'd been shot almost fatally. After being released from the hospital, she and her boyfriend – everything in her flinched at the term – had taken a slow three week tour up the east coast of the United States until he'd pulled into his sprawling Hamptons summer home. And naturally, Rick Castle had a summer home in the Hamptons. But, for the first time in a long time, Kate was okay with that.

They'd spent the next two months in the Hamptons while Kate recovered from the shot. Alexis and Martha stayed in the city while Alexis finished school and attended a summer program at NYU for July. But now it was August, and Rick was on the road bringing his daughter to join them in the Hamptons for the last months of summer and, coincidentally, of Kate's recovery.

Because it true Kate Beckett fashion, she'd thrown herself into her recovery with the same determination she showed on cases but with a patience that she knew surprised Rick. However, it wasn't the first time she'd been shot, nor was it the first time she knew of someone getting shot. She remembered the recovery time, remembered how hard she could push herself and she had. It helped that Rick had access to the best facilities and they'd managed to establish some ground rules on their three month trip. He did his best to back off and write when she needed space and she did her best to actually ask him for help when she needed him.

A smile blossomed over her face as she felt two hands rest on her shoulders. She leaned her head back to find Rick crouched behind her. "Hey you."

He kissed her forehead sweetly. "There's someone here who wants to see how you're doing."

Kate was honestly excited for Alexis to join them. She genuinely liked the teenager and the play-by-play between father and daughter was amusing even at the worst of times. It had lightened a number of her days both before her shooting and even after.

"Yeah?" she asked, holding out her hands as Rick strolled around to stop in front of her, blocking her sun and casting a dark shadow over her body.

"Yeah. She was just pulling her last bags out of the trunk and I told her I'd come get you."

She rolled her eyes as he lifted her, the pressure he exerted on her right arm more than on her left. She was so close to being adequately healed and she had almost full motion back in her arm. The muscles weren't back to their complete strength, but having him pull her up wouldn't hurt her.

"She missed you," Rick said, pulling her quickly into his arms.

She hugged him back briefly, before pulling back to press a kiss to his mouth. He'd been even more touchy since the shooting, reluctant to let her out of his sight too long. He'd touch her whenever he could, whether it was cooking dinner, eating dinner or when he passed her from one room to another. He'd run his fingers through her hair, brush the tips of them against the sensitive skin at the back of her neck or stop to press a kiss to the top of her head. He had to keep reminding himself that she was alive.

"Well, we'd better not keep her waiting then," Kate said, shifting in his arms again for the walk up to the house. She grinned wider as they got closer, and almost rushed Rick into the house. Alexis was just racing through the kitchen on her way to the back and she squealed when she saw Kate. She stopped just inches before the detective and Kate rolled her eyes before wrapping Alexis in a tight hug.

"How are you feeling?" the redhead asked against Kate's shoulder.

"Like I'm almost ready to go back to work," Kate replied, squeezing the teenager just that little bit harder to show that she was almost back to full strength and much, much better.

"Really?" Alexis asked.

"Oh, definitely. Too much more time with your father and I may actually do something drastic," Kate said with a smile.

Alexis laughed and Kate realized with a little bit of shock that she'd genuinely missed the sound. Alexis had an uninhibited laugh that reminded Kate that she had yet to be exposed to half of the things she'd seen. Kate's wide grin softened into an affectionate smile.

"Seriously, Sweetheart," the brunette said, squeezing Alexis again. "I'm almost back to a hundred percent. I'm fine."

"Freaked out, insecure, neurotic and emotional?" the redhead asked innocently.

Kate rewarded her with an eye roll. "It's nice to see your summer program didn't stint your exposure to pop culture."

"Of course not," Alexis replied unrepentantly. "Carter and I caught a number of summer blockbusters."

Carter was a boy Alexis had met prior to the summer program and Rick had been a little concerned the more and more Alexis had talked about him. Even now, his eyes narrowed.

"Do I need to have a chat with this boy?"

Alexis shook her head. "I let it slip that you were dating an NYPD detective." She looked up at Kate with innocent eyes. "I think he's a little afraid of you."

"As he should be," Kate agreed solemnly. "Even your dad's still afraid of me."

"A little bit of fear is healthy," Rick defended.

"Certainly keeps you in line," Kate teased. Then she turned to Alexis. "What do you say to the beach?"

Alexis met Kate's gaze. "I say it's a necessity! It would be a crying shame to waste a day like this."

The brunette detective nodded sagely. "Most definitely. And I can swim without plastic wrap over my shoulder."

Alexis' smile was blinding and Kate was struck with the feeling that the redhead had been genuinely worried about her and her recovery. Kate returned the wide grin, nudging the teenager's shoulder. "Go on. Get ready. I'll meet you out there."

Alexis scampered off and Rick hooked his arm around Kate's waist, spinning her and pressing a rough kiss to her mouth. "You're so good with her," he murmured when he pulled back. "Are you girls going to be okay for the afternoon?"

"Of course," Kate answered with an arched eyebrow.

He grinned unrepentantly. "This gives me a _fantastic_ idea for Nikki," he answered, kissing her again swiftly. "If I'm not out before, come get me for dinner."

Then, with another kiss, he was off. Kate let out a little bark of laughter at his back, feeling an interesting twist of absolute glee at how domestic and _normal_ it all felt, and the absurdity and fear of the situation. Despite everything, there was still a really big part of her that couldn't believe that of all the people in the world, she, Kate Beckett, detective of the NYPD and jaded woman was blessed with not only Rick, but Rick's daughter.

With another chuckle, she made her way back outside to the towel she'd left behind to wait for her redheaded companion.

* * *

After an afternoon of the actual building of a sandcastle and showing Alexis that she was pretty much back to normal, Kate and Alexis were in the kitchen, finishing up the preparations for dinner. Rick still hadn't emerged from his office, but Alexis had seemed genuinely eager to help.

"Hey Kate?"

Kate glanced over at Alexis. "Yeah?"

Alexis was biting her lip, a sure sign that the topic of conversation was one that her father would not approve of. "What would you say if I told you I didn't want to go to Stanford?"

Kate was honestly taken aback. Stanford University was all Alexis had talked about for almost four months after Rick had taken her to see the campus last summer. She'd been accepted and Kate had been under the impression that there was no question about where the teenager was planning to go for college. "I'd ask why."

"A whole bunch of reasons," Alexis admitted. "I mean, it's a beautiful campus, and I liked it, but... I'm reconsidering."

"Reconsidering?" Kate asked with an arched eyebrow. "You're set to go in a couple of weeks."

"Okay, so I reconsidered," Alexis amended. "I just... I don't know."

Kate put the knife she was using aside, propping her hip on the counter so she could face the redhead. "Does this have anything to do with the fact that Stanford is across the country?"

The teenager blew out a breath. "That's part of it, yeah," she replied. "I don't like the idea of being so far away from Dad and Grams."

"Your father's in good hands," Kate said slowly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Alexis shot her an appreciative smile. "I know, and I'm glad."

The brunette turned back to her knife and cutting board. "What did you have in mind?"

"Um... I may have accepted Princeton instead?" Alexis winced.

Kate thought for a moment. "Princeton is still a good school and you did like the campus."

"And they're still offering the same degree and I'm still moving out of the house, it's just... closer."

When Alexis had been trying to choose her colleges, she'd gone to Kate for help as much as she'd gone to her father. Kate's only push had been that Alexis stay away from the New York post-secondary institutions, not because they were sub-par by any means, but because she truly felt that it would do both father and daughter good to be separated for some time. It would allow Alexis the chance to get out on her own, to explore the world and be a true college student, to find who she was going to be in the world. It wasn't that she didn't think Alexis couldn't do it from home, but she felt that it would be more effective, and better in the long run for both father and daughter, if she started the next chapter of her life away from her father. She'd been very careful and candid in explaining her reasoning to both Alexis and Rick, ensuring that both of them knew Alexis was always, _always_ part of the family and it had nothing to do with kicking her out.

The last thing Kate wanted Alexis to think was that she was being shoved out of her home and the lives of her father and Kate. That hadn't been the detective's intention in the slightest. Kate and Alexis' relationship had blossomed since she'd started spending more and more time at the Castles and Kate considered her as much family as Lanie, Esposito and Ryan. She loved her relationship with Alexis, glad that it was more like sisterhood than parental. She had one parent and Kate had never wanted to step on Rick's toes. That didn't mean Kate didn't subtly steer Alexis into decisions that would make both father and daughter happy.

They lapsed into silence, both of them working on their part of the meal for a few minutes before Kate spoke again.

"I think that your father is going to be confused," she said, "but when it comes to college or university I think you need to pick the right school for _you_."

"I liked Stanford," Alexis admitted. "But Princeton seems more practical. You're only an hour and a half away instead of five hours on a plane."

Kate reached out, wrapping Alexis in a quick side hug and pressing a kiss to her temple. "You will always have a home with us, Sweetheart, no matter where you go to school."

"I know," Alexis said with a wide grin. "I just hope Dad has the same reaction."

"He wants what's best for you," Kate replied though on a heavy sigh. "I think he was just as set on Stanford as you were."

"Do you think he'll be mad?"

"Of course not," Kate chuckled. "In fact, I think a part of him is going to be really happy that you're closer than across the country. And there's probably a part of you that's extremely happy to continue to live across the country from your mother."

Meredith had come up in a number of Stanford conversations, to the point where Rick and Alexis had simply proposed not telling Meredith that Alexis was going to be going to school close by. The last thing they needed, and the one thing Alexis dreaded above all else, was Meredith storming the school to spring her daughter from class.

"God yes," the redhead agreed. "I love Mom, but distance is best for us."

Which was the same theory Kate had been trying to ingrain her about her father too.

"You know, having you around does make me feel better about leaving," the teenager said softly. "Dad... well, you know Dad. He gets into trouble. And he gets mopey sometimes. He's like a puppy, where you can't leave them by themselves for too long. With Grams gone... It makes me feel better to know that he's going to have you."

"Well, I promise you, I will keep a good eye on him," Kate replied, her face serious despite her dancing eyes.

"I can't believe it's less than a month away," the teenager admitted quietly.

"You know, your dad said the same thing to me last night," Kate answered with an affectionate smile. "He says you grew up so fast. One second he was playing in the park with you and buying ice cream and the next, he's asking me to do background checks on the boys you meet." She paused for a moment, considering her next words carefully. She'd never lied to Alexis and she usually treated the teenager as one of her girlfriends instead of a teen. It was their relationship and it was what kept them on even keel. "There's a part of your dad that's going to be really lost with you gone, even though I'm around."

They fell silent for a few minutes until Kate heard Alexis sniffle. She immediately dropped the knife she was using and pulled the young woman into her arms, hugging her tight. Alexis latched on, fisting her hands in Kate's t-shirt and burying her face in Kate's shoulder. The brunette shushed her softly, running a hand up and down her back.

She couldn't imagine being in Alexis' position. Her father was the center of her world and she was going to be walking away from that. Kate stood by her thought that it would be good for them both, but that didn't make it any easier to watch both of them realize that there was about to be one of the biggest shifts in their lives. They'd been through their own fair share of heartache over the years with Rick's marriages and divorces, but they'd always had each other through it all.

Eventually, Alexis stepped back and raised a hand to wipe at her eyes. "Sorry."

"No reason to be sorry," Kate replied, wiping a thumb under the teenager's eyes. "Why don't you go clean up and I'll throw this together. You can grab your father on the way out."

* * *

_First and foremost, biggest thanks to Gayle who told me it wouldn't be a terrible thing to include the conversation between Kate and Alexis in the kitchen. Apparently I took your advice!_

_So, as I said in the last chapter of NY, the two stories are inches from meeting up again. Which means it's time to start posting!_

_I have a good news-bad news. Good news: most of this is written. After months of having the chance to work on it, for the most part, it is finished. However! Bad news: there are still pieces missing, one of which is the entirety of the next chapter. I'm not sure when I'll get it up, especially since I'm about to go dive head first into Criminal Minds land. _

_This will not be just a completely fluffy story about the end of Kate's recovery. Alexis is in the Hamptons for a reason and keep in mind she hasn't been around for two months. But that is all I will say on the matter!_

_In the meantime, what did you think of the first chapter? And how excited are you that I'm finally getting around to the third installment! Because I'm pretty much over the moon about it!_


	2. Chapter 2

Around the World: Book Three

**Trouble in the Hamptons**

_Chapter 2  
_

. . . . .

With a pounding heart and sweat spilling down her face, Kate shot upright in bed. Her chest heaved as she tried to suck air into her lungs, gripping the sheets in her fists. She couldn't stop herself from jolting when a hand settled on her bare thigh.

"Honey? Kate?"

She gripped his hand tightly, the other letting go of the sheets to slide up his arm until her palm came to rest against his cheek. It had just been a nightmare. A very nasty nightmare. She still had them, they both still had them. But now it took less time to reassure herself that everything – and everyone – was okay.

"Go back to sleep," she urged gently, leaning down to press a kiss to his shoulder.

His big hand slid up her thigh. "'Kay?"

He was obviously still mostly asleep. "Yeah," she answered with affection. "I'm just going to get some water.

"Kay."

Getting water was the usual way Kate gave herself a moment of reprieve. Regardless of their relationship, there was still moments Kate needed that were hers and hers alone, but she knew if she was gone too long, Rick always came to find her. What she hadn't anticipated was seeing the TV on in the den.

"Alexis?"

The redhead jumped and spun around in her seat on the couch. "Kate!"

They'd had the extra body in the house for a couple of days now and Kate had to admit, she liked it. It felt _right_.

"Is everything okay?" the detective asked, stepping fully into the room and taking in the cartoon on the massive screen.

"Um, yeah," Alexis replied.

But Kate knew better. Even though she hadn't been around the precinct for almost three months, Alexis had a terrible poker face and she was trained to see nervousness and anxiousness. As much as she'd enjoyed her vacation, the 'cop' side of her was too entrenched in her for Kate to just turn it off. "Why are you up so late?"

"I'm... it's weird to not be in my own bed."

"Did you have the same problem at NYU?" Kate knew she'd caught Alexis in the white lie. They all knew she hadn't had any problems for the few weeks she'd stayed in the NYU dorms.

"What are you doing up?" Alexis asked instead, ignoring the question.

Kate allowed the subject change and considered the teenager a moment. "Nightmares," she finally said, deciding the truth was better and may, if she was lucky, get the teen to open up.

The redhead seemed surprised. "Nightmares?"

"Yeah," the older woman answered dropping to the couch. "I hear they're perfectly normal after trauma."

"You had a nightmare about Dad?" Alexis asked, turning to face the detective.

Kate smiled, reaching out to squeeze Alexis' arm. "I'm human," she joked. She glanced over at _Bugs Bunny_ on the screen. "I take it tonight was a bad one?"

"Dad and I used to watch this every Sunday, without fail," Alexis replied, not answering the question.

"My dad got up to watch Saturday morning cartoons with me," Kate agreed, letting the subject drop. "No matter what."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "My dad...

"... Still watches Saturday morning cartoons," Kate finished with her. She smiled. "I know."

"He wakes you up?" Alexis inquired.

"Every Saturday for the last eight weeks," the detective answered. "Seven on the dot, which is _very _early when you're recovering from a gunshot wound."

The teenager stiffened, then blew out a breath. "You say it so casually," she said after a moment. "Like it's an everyday occurrence."

Kate knew she had to choose her next words carefully. Very carefully. "It's a hazard of the job," she replied eventually. "It's not the first time I've been shot."

Alexis' laugh was shaky. "And that makes it easier?"

"On me, maybe," Kate allowed. "On my loved ones... probably not so much, I had to call my day daily for the first three weeks after I was released until he finally absorbed that I was, indeed, okay." Then she snorted. "And your dad had to give him a full run down of all of the doctors and specialists and therapists I was going to be seeing here. It wasn't until they were both sure I was getting the best that my dad _finally_ let up."

"It was pretty scary," Alexis whispered, head tilted forward to hide her face behind a curtain of hair.

Kate reached out. This wasn't what she'd anticipated when she'd come down for water, but she recognized that Alexis hadn't exactly had the chance to talk it out like she and Rick had. It wasn't that they'd forgotten about her, simply that though they'd talked to the teenager daily, they'd all really avoided the shooting and it's repercussions.

"I'm okay," Kate began carefully. "We're all okay."

"And what if you hadn't been?"

'What if's were dangerous. Kate knew that well. But Kate was much older than Alexis' seventeen years. "You and your dad would have gone on," she answered wisely, both because she'd already experienced it and because she knew Alexis needed a concrete answer. "It's just what you do."

"No," Alexis said, the anxiousness back and actually pushing the teen into pacing the length of the den just in front of Kate. "It would have broken him."

"For a while," Kate agreed. "But that's normal. Even your dad would move on." Since she hadn't died, the thought of Rick with someone else, 'moving on', made her stomach roll uncomfortably. She reached out and caught Alexis' wrist. "None of that matters, Lex. I'm here, safe, alive and whole."

"But you'll go back," Alexis replied.

"Getting shot isn't on my daily agenda," the detective pointed out wryly. "In fact, I usually do my utmost to avoid it. Especially since you and your dad came into my life."

"But the chance is always there."

"Risk is a part of life, Alexis. Yours, mine, your dad's... You risk your life every time you leave the house, every time you're out alone, whenever you get on the subway." Kate tightened her grip on the thin hand. "Bianca was... crazy. The people I deal with on my job aren't usually crazy." She paused. "Is that what your nightmare was about?"

Alexis froze and blinked. "I didn't say anything about a nightmare." But she didn't have to. It was written all over her face, in every tense line of her body, in every tremble of her hands. She collapsed to the couch and Kate thought for a moment that Alexis was going to tell her everything. When nothing came out after a few minutes, she bit back a sigh.

"If I don't get upstairs soon your dad's going to worry," she said quietly. She'd hoped it would be enough for Alexis to start talking and she found herself disappointed when nothing was forthcoming. She sighed out loud as she started climbing the stairs, seeing Rick just coming out of their room when she hit the top landing. He held his arms open for her and she burrowed close, breathing him in as her fingers fisted in the elastic of his boxers.

"You were gone a while," he murmured into her hair.

"I got caught up with Alexis," Kate admitted. "She was watching _Bugs Bunny_."

Rick rested his chin on her head. "That's comfort TV," he said. "Everything okay?"

"I don't know," she answered. "I'm starting to wonder if she's mad at me, like Dr Brown said you were."

Dr Garrett Brown had been 'treating' them both since they'd made it to the Hamptons. He was an old school friend of Rick's. They'd gone through college together and Garrett now ran a successful practice in psychology. Gary, as Rick often called him, had been making the two hour drive to Rick's monsterous playhouse three times a week for the last ten weeks. It had been two weeks ago that they'd all agreed to downgrade it to twice. They'd see him once a week when they returned to New York in September.

Garrett had managed to peg something about them right off the bat, and that was that Rick was mad at Kate for taking the bullet meant for him. That hadn't surprised Kate, since she was a veteran of getting shot, and she'd been remarkably understanding about the whole thing. But Rick knew she was wondering if now Alexis was mad at her for getting shot at all. It had made a mess of their family dynamic and had left Alexis in New York for two months while Kate recovered away from the insanity of the city and the lure of the precinct.

Rick blew out a sigh. "Gary explained that I wasn't really _mad_ at you."

"Yes you were. You thought I should have just let you get shot. And _I_ told you that it would have utterly destroyed Alexis." She snorted in derision then pulled away with a wide smile. "As if I was going to let you take a bullet when I was perfectly capable of doing that myself."

He kissed her fiercely. "I hate it when you make light of it."

"I know," Kate answered softly. "But that's because you're stuck on what _could_ have happened instead of what _did_ happen." Internally, she was chuckling to herself. It was a variation on the same theme and they'd had countless versions of the conversation including one or two with Garrett. It was Garrett's words she's been paraphrasing.

"And you have to joke about it, I know." He leaned down to press a kiss to the scar showing along the strap of her tank top. It was still pink, still not completely healed. "Another battle wound for my warrior."

She chuckled, just a little, realizing this was the normalcy Alexis had probably been missing at home. _Maybe_, Kate thought to herself, _she just needs us to act like we're normal, like everything's okay_.

"Come on Superman," she murmured, pressing her mouth to his. "I could use a couple more hours."

Rick scooped her into his arms and Kate realized he had other ideas when he licked his way up her collarbone and nibbled on her pulse point.

"Okay," she said breathlessly as her bones melted and he kicked the door closed behind them. "I guess sleep can wait."

* * *

_So, this took on a mind of it's own. In a big way. And it's resulted in a nice little hullabaloo for my brain. To that end, a few things:_

_1) Garrett's added a whole new dimension to this story I hadn't anticipated on. As a result, I'm having to put "Back in New York" on hold because it's caught up to this one, and Hamptons isn't there yet. It'll be a little while until NY is updated because this has to meet up with it first. Elsewise, you're getting spoilers and I don't quite want that just yet. The good news is that it means these updates will be coming a bit quicker. I've got at least the next chapter sketched out and kind of written so I'm hoping to clean that up and get it posted in the next 24-48. "There and Back" should be updated soon too._

_2) If you're a "Memoir" follower, I have kind of bad news. Due to unforseen issues, SSW and I are having to put that on hold until we can puzzle our way through them. With the case as such a main focus, we've had to make sure we're following it closely and we want to iron out some of the ending before we keep building it. Hopefully we'll get something to you soon, but I don't want to make promises and guarantees._

_3) Dead links. It happens. Every year, the site does maintenance and upgrades and we lose alerts, review alerts and sometimes, the links go dead for a while. Hopefully you guys are willing to be patient and just keep checking back. Sometimes it takes and extra couple of hours (sometimes, like a day) to get all of the links updated. Don't panic! It's there, the site's just being a pain in uploading it. (I'm off my soap box now!)_

_4) I'd love to know what you think. I always want to know what you think. This chapter didn't turn out at all the way it was originally planned, so I'm three times as interested in what you think. In the meantime, I'm going to go see if Garrett and Alexis are going to cooperate and see if I can get back to you with another new chapter tomorrow!_


	3. Chapter 3

_To IMW, who made my day with a touching review. Thank you!_

. . . . .

Around the World: Book Three

**Trouble in the Hamptons**

_Chapter 3  
_

. . . . .

Kate woke up at nine for her morning run and returned to the house, sweaty and panting just over an hour later. As had become their habit. Rick waited on the porch for her, coffee in hand. She snagged it out of his grasp, pressing a good morning kiss to his cheek. The affection was normal and comfortable between them, but Kate had no doubt that would change come her return to full time policing. Detective Beckett was a tough-as-nails, take-no-prisoners cop. Kate was the more affectionate girlfriend of the all-too-famous Richard Castle.

"Alexis?" she asked, handing her coffee back to him after the first sip. She started her cool down stretches, taking in the smell of the ocean on the breeze. Fall was coming. The air was cooling.

"Sleeping. I found her on the couch and moved her to her bed. She barely blinked her eyes open," Rick replied, sipping his own mug as he watched her.

Kate tried not to think about how late the teenager must have been up to sleep so soundly.

"I'm wondering if maybe Alexis should talk to Gary when he comes by next," Rick continued, watching Kate's lithe body work it's way through the stretches. God, he was lucky and not just because she made it out of the shooting alive but because she wanted him at all.

"I told you I'd convert you," the brunette said with a wide grin, taking her coffee again.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, talking to a professional is not a terrible idea or an invasion of my deeply coveted privacy." His eyes went serious. "You've been instrumental in a lot of changes, Detective."

She had no doubt about that and she knew he w wasn't necessarily referring to bad changes either. He had been the one to resist talking to a psychologist when Kate had suggested going together. It wasn't, by far, Kate's first visit to a psychologist and she actually recognized that when it came to trauma, they were an invaluable resource. Maura Pippen was the psychologist she'd seen after her mother's death and long into her father's alcoholism. They'd virtually grown up together since Maura had been twenty-seven and fresh out of school to Kate's twenty-two. Maura had been able to help Kate cope with it all and pushed Kate not to give up on her father.

So when she'd been shot, Kate's first instinct had been able to go to Maura again. She'd waited a week, until she wasn't as loopy from the medication, to call her. But Maura couldn't refuse to take Rick on as well. It was how, after two weeks of discussions and arguments, Rick had finally suggested Garrett. Kate had been a little antsy about talking to someone new, but Garrett had been easy to talk to and Kate liked him. It helped that Garrett was the only person Rick would talk to.

"Do you think Alexis would agree to talking with Garrett?" she asked, tilting her head into the sun.

Rick shrugged sheepishly. "I was hoping you'd talk to her. You sold Garrett to me."

"Of course you were," she said, turning to him long enough to roll her eyes before looking to the sun again. The impromptu – and forced – vacation had turned her a golden brown she was sure would be envied when she returned to the precinct. "I'll talk to her."

"I knew you would," he replied, grasping her chin and turning her head long enough to kiss her. "To the shower with you, Sweetheart. And while you're in there think of what you want to do today."

"Something normal," she answered, allowing him to steer her inside with a hand on her back. "Something that'll help Alexis see everything will be okay."

He chuckled and kissed the back of her head as they separated, him for the kitchen her for the stairs. He was touched by the thought. "Hey Kate?" he called after a moment, just as she was about to put her foot on the bottom stair. "I love you."

She smiled, the same brilliant smile she always gave when he told her. "I love you, too."

* * *

Garrett showed up at his usual time on Friday, the same time he'd been arriving for the last ten weeks. He counted it as an honour to have Rick on his list of patients the same way he'd thought it an honour to have the man as his friend. Even in school Rick hadn't been one to share easily so Garrett knew how much trust was resting on his rather broad shoulders.

Katherine Beckett, he'd discovered, was a walking, talking contradiction, but a surprisingly good match for his college pal. He was a little shocked to discover that a woman that was as private as Kate had been the one to push Rick to talk to a professional. And Rick had agreed. But the redhead who pulled the door open to the Hamptons manor was someone Garrett had only ever seen in pictures.

"You must be Alexis," Garrett had followed Rick's career and subsequently and accidentally his tabloid headlines.

Her eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

He smiled. "Garrett Brown. I'm here for your dad and Kate."

"Dad and Kate?" Still, she pulled the door open wider just as Rick came down the stairs, pulling a t-shirt over his head.

"Gary! Glad you could make it," he said, reaching around Alexis to shake Garrett's hand.

Garrett chuckled. "I've made it every week since you called."

"Coffee?" Rick asked, sharing in the chuckle and wrapping his arm around Alexis' shoulders. "Kate's going to be another couple of minutes."

"Dad?" Alexis asked warily.

"You too, Pumpkin," he answered, tugging her along. "But no coffee for you. You're not old enough yet."

Garrett almost laughed, both at the play-by-play and the obvious confusion in the redhead. Honestly, it surprised him. From what he'd learned about Rick and his relationship with his daughter, the two were extremely close. It seemed odd that Rick hadn't mentioned Garrett or his role. "Rick, I do believe she's asking why I'm here, not if she can have coffee too."

Rick made a show of looking down at the redhead in surprise, even as he steered her to an island stool. "Did Kate not talk to you?"

"We were too busy being normal," came Kate's voice. She rounded the corner tightening her ponytail. "I didn't get a chance."

"Talk to me about what?" Alexis asked, trepidation back in her voice.

"Your father and I have been talking to Dr. Brown since we got here," the detective said delicately. "He's a psychologist."

"Psychologist?" Alexis said carefully.

"_We've_ been talking to him. You are not required to, nor are we asking you to if you don't feel like it," Kate reassured the teen, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"But you've been talking to him." The redhead was focus on her father. "You've been in therapy since June. And you haven't told me."

Garrett watched almost in awe at the new shift in dynamics in the household. Alexis' arrival seemed to have shifted Kate out of the usual Alpha Female role she held in the house. It was apparent that Kate deferred to the long-standing relationship between father and daughter and was aware that she was, for all intents and purposes, the outsider. Alexis, however, seemed hurt at the idea Garrett had been kept a secret – whether intentional or not – from her.

"It didn't come up in conversation," Rick defended. "It's not exactly something you slip between the weather and your science grade."

"You _hate_ psychologists," Alexis returned.

Garrett didn't take offense. Rick had made that perfectly clear the first time Garrett had come by the house.

"Garrett and I went to school together," Rick replied. "And Kate wanted to talk to a professional."

Hurt flew over Alexis' face and if Garrett hadn't been watching, he probably would have missed the resentment too. Of course, Rick had also just tossed the blame on Kate, so the little piece of resentment wasn't a surprising. But Garrett was also aware that this was going to add an entirely different level of conversation to their sessions.

Alexis pushed away from the table. "I'm going to go read in my room. And I'm locking my door."

All three adults watched her storm out. Garrett offered Rick, who was looking terribly guilty, and Kate, who just looked resigned, a wry smile. "Well that didn't go well," he said, then looked to Rick. "I take it she shares your hatred of psychologists."

"She shares the unfortunate trust issues associated with being part of a famous family," Rick responded, sliding a mug Garrett's way and immediately starting on another. The furtive looks he was shooting at the detective told Garrett this one was probably for her.

Kate tugged on her ponytail, fingering the ends with a sigh. "And she's already mad at me." She looked to Garrett with her own wry smile. "She's a little too much like her father."

Garrett watched her for a moment before saying, "Why don't you and I start first and Rick can join us later?"

Both of them seemed relieved by the suggestion. Kate graced Rick with a smile as he set her coffee beside her and headed for the stairs.

Garrett took that as his cue and turned to Kate. "I take it that means that Alexis is mad at you for getting shot?"

Kate sighed. "I don't know," she admitted, because she firmly believed that Garrett wouldn't be able to help if she wasn't brutally honest with him. "I can only assume since she's so much like her father that she too would be frustrated. A lot wouldn't be the way it is if I hadn't been shot."

"But we've been through this. You and Rick both know the only person at fault is the woman who shot you," Garrett said carefully. Kate was less of a psychological minefield than Rick, but Garrett had learned they both required the proverbial gentle touch. "I'm sure Alexis knows that too."

"Yeah, but even you said we have to acknowledge it to believe it," Kate replied with a small smile.

Garrett couldn't help reaching out and resting a hand briefly on her arm. "Be patient, Kate. She's going through a lot of shifts, just like you and Rick are. A lot of things are changing for you guys and for creatures of habit, it can be difficult."

They segued into different topics from there, Rick joining them an hour later looking a bit subdued. In some ways, Garrett felt sorry for the two of them. Trauma like a shooting was something most families didn't go through. From a clinical standpoint, he understood the type of things Alexis could be going through. The anger at Kate for being the major upheaval in her life and her father's life was most likely only the tip of the iceberg. But after talking to Rick and Kate for two months, even he had to admit he had faith that they could get through it all and come out stronger on the other side. It's what Kate and Rick had done. Now, knowing them like he did, Garrett had no doubt both of them would fight for what they wanted.

* * *

The next afternoon, Rick had holed himself up in his office without explanation. It made Kate nervous. Really, really nervous because it had been a long time since he'd gone and done something without giving her some sort of additional information. She hadn't been able to focus or concentrate on the novel she'd been trying to read.

"Um... Kate?"

As if her nerves needed more stress. "Hey Alexis."

The redhead chewed her lip. "I, um, talked to Dad yesterday." She shifted from foot to foot, then sighed. "It's Dad's fault he didn't tell me about Dr. Brown."

Rick had already apologized for using her as a scapegoat, so Kate flashed Alexis a smile. "It's fine, Lex. Really."

But Alexis continued to shift from one foot to the other, her nerves palpable. "It's not fine," she blurted.

Kate blinked, her heart skipping. With measured movements, she placed her bookmark in the spine of her novel. "What's wrong?"

"You said I could always come talk to you, right?" Alexis began nervously.

"Of course," the detective replied, shifting to give Alexis room to slide onto the wicker loveseat beside her. She would prefer Alexis talk to the neutral third party Garrett represented, but the fact that Alexis was willing to talk at all meant the world to her. "About anything."

Still, Alexis seemed nervous when she settled down on the seat. "I miss my dad."

It took Kate a moment to make sense of Alexis' words.

"I mean, I do like you, and I'm glad you're with my dad but… I haven't really seen him in two months and… I miss him."

"I get it," Kate reassured with a gentle smile. "Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to miss someone when they're right there beside you."

"Exactly," Alexis said, relief shadowing her blue eyes. There was more lurking there, but for now, Kate was willing to just focus on the relief. "Um… Is it okay then, if I ask you to have time with just me and Dad?"

"Of course it is," the detective answered immediately. "We'll talk to your dad about it-"

"No!" Alexis exclaimed.

Now Kate was suspicious. "No?"

The redhead blew out a breath. "I just… He feels bad enough right now, about the things he hasn't told me about the two of you being here for so long and I don't… I really don't want to put any more pressure on his shoulders right now. He already feels like he's been a crappy dad and-"

"We both know how important being a good dad is to him," Kate finished.

Alexis grinned. "You know, sometimes it's creepy that you can finish my sentences."

"Only about your dad," Kate laughed. "And being a good dad is one of the things I love about yours, so I can understand why you wouldn't want him to feel even more guilty. If it helps, he counted down the days until you could come."

Kate watched as Alexis' entire body seemed to relax. "Thanks, Kate."

"It's the least I can do," Kate admitted. "We have had two months here and with you leaving… it makes sense that you want to spend as much time with him as you can. It's been you and your dad for so long."

Alexis leaned over to impulsively hug her. "When you say things like that I can totally see why Dad loves you."

Kate returned the hug and hoped that the blush would be gone by the time she pulled away. When she did, she bounced up.

"Do you think he's mind if I pulled him out of the office?"

"No," the brunette said with a laugh. "I highly doubt he'll mind all that much."

Alexis hugged her again. "Thanks Kate," she repeated.

Kate blew out a breath as Alexis skipped away. There was a huge part of her that wanted with everything in her, for this to be exactly what Alexis needed to get over the massive changes that were currently taking place within the family dynamics of the Castle family. Nevertheless, she was still worried. There was still a lot Alexis had to be going through and the fact that she wasn't telling anyone, that a teenager, as mature as she was, was trying to battle through it on her own made Kate uncomfortable. She'd tried to do the same thing before meeting Maura and she had a nasty scar to show for it. She certainly hoped Alexis would, at the very least, start opening up to her father now that they had time alone.

It was obvious to Kate that Alexis was still struggling and she couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. It was a lot for a teenager to deal with and Kate couldn't help but think that someday, and someday soon, it was all going to explode.

* * *

_1) REPOSTED AND EDITED! And it makes me feel better because I've now fixed the reason I didn't like the original. I do hope it all makes sense too. There's also a reference in here to a scar. That story's been rewritten too, but it's a LONG time ago (Chapter 8 of California Dreaming) so I don't necessarily expect you to remember it, or to go back and re-read the new version. That I place totally in the reader's hands.  
_

_2) The good news is that the next chapter is the chapter that'll correspond to where NY is. Which makes me happy because as soon as it goes up, I'm free to write NY again to my little heart's content. And it's at such a good place!_

_3) As of Saturday, EST, I have no internet. I'm going to do my utmost to get everything (Hamptons, NY and Back) updated before I leave at least once more. Hamptons is half written, so is NY and Back just needs a last edit, so I should be able to do it. And this time, I do mean I'm going to come home with more chapters than you can shake a fist at. If I'm lucky, Hamptons may even be finished before I head to the British Isles, which means you won't have to wait 2 weeks for an update on that one. That would make me happy!_

_4) As usual, a review is like candy and illegal drugs overloading at the same time. I appreciate every one of them and hey, I may even reply! It may take me a few days, but I'll do it!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Did you go back and read the last chapter? Because there's a 'bonus scene' at the end that made me a lot happier with it. And I promise its grammar is much better than that last sentence._

. . . . .

Around the World: Book Three

**Trouble in the Hamptons**

_Chapter 4  
_

. . . . . _  
_

A week later, Kate had managed to minimize the time she spent with Rick and maximize the amount of time the Castles could spend together. Rick was getting suspicious, she could tell, but she put on her best smile assuring him that she really did want to make a substantial dent in the reading list she'd made upon seeing Castles _massive_ Hamptons library. And she had, but she was also starting to feel a little bit lonely. She couldn't fault Alexis for wanting to spend time with her father, but the only way she could think to do it was to sacrifice some of her own time with him.

But that meant she was incredibly thankful to find four missed calls from her best friend when she checked her phone after dinner. She was even more thankful when, on her way to the den to watch a movie Rick had insisted she see, it started ringing in her hand. It was Lanie's ID.

"It's Lanie," she told him when he poked his head around the corner.

Rick relaxed though the smile he shot her was tremulous even as he waved her away. Kate sighed as she slipped out the back door, aware she was going to have to tell Rick about Alexis' request, even though she'd promised the teenager she wouldn't.

"Hey Lanie."

There was a pause, a split second where Kate realized she must have sounded as exhausted and down as she felt. Lanie confirmed it when she said, "Girl, you don't sound so good."

Kate forced a laugh. "We're just… going through some growing pains," the detective replied. "But you called me, which means something's wrong."

As terrible as Lanie's news was – her cousin's son had been arrested by Ryan and Esposito for murder – Kate was thankful for the distraction and the idea of a case. She all but begged Lanie to send the casefile her way, if only to give her something to do. She could pass it off as practice for when she returned to work. The fact that Lanie seemed truly thankful she was willing to look into the case made her happy too.

Then, however, it was her turn.

"Writerboy no longer keeping you busy?" Lanie asked with a laugh after she'd promised to send the case Kate's way in the morning.

Kate let out a sigh as she looked over the ocean. It usually calmed her, it had done so before, but she could feel uncomfortable knots settling between her shoulder blades. "If only it was that simple," she said. "It's more than that Lanie."

"Talk to me," the ME requested quietly. "I thought everything was good."

"It was," Kate said. "It is."

"Then I'm confused."

"Alexis came up a week ago," Kate began slowly. "And… I love her, Lanie, I really do. She's a great kid, a fantastic teen… she does nothing of the things the horror stories tell… She's easy to get along with, she's sweet, she does her chores, she helps around the house… But she's not talking to anyone."

"Like, she's locking herself in her room and not socializing at all?"

"No, no, not at all. It's just… The shooting shook her. I can see it. But she won't talk to anyone. She won't talk to Dr Brown, she won't talk to me, and from the sounds of it, she's not talking to Rick either."

"Maybe she's just not ready to talk," Lanie suggested. "It is a lot for anyone to take in and you told me you were the one who convinced Castle to try seeing this psychologist. You've been through all of this before, Alexis hasn't."

"But now I don't know what to do," Kate lamented.

"I honestly don't know either. All I can suggest is that you give her time."

The detective ran a hand through her hair. "She asked me at the beginning of the week if she could have more alone time with her dad."

"That makes sense," Lanie admitted after a moment.

"Originally I thought it did too. But now… Lanie I feel like an intruder now, like I'm not supposed to be here," Kate admitted, cursing the tears that pooled in her eyes. She wiped impatiently at the moisture and her nose.

"Look, Kate, maybe she just misses her dad," Lanie pointed out, sounding incredibly rational. "You said it yourself, you've had your Writerboy for two whole months without her running around. You haven't had to split your time because you've had all the attention. But you've also always said the two of 'em are close, so it would make sense that Alexis would want to spend time with her dad before she goes away."

Kate chewed her lip for a moment. Then she blew out a breath. "Logically, I know that. But… I can't find a balance, Lanie. I want to give her enough time with her dad, I do, partially because I'm hoping she'll talk to him eventually, but partially because I get that she can miss her dad when he's right there beside her. I just… I can't find a balance."

"Tell Rick," the ME urged. "You keep telling me you guys are good, that you guys are talking. Maybe he can help you find that balance. Heck, maybe he can talk to Alexis. You can't go back to hiding, Kate. Please, girl, don't go back. Don't fall back into your old routines."

The detective sniffled, then rolled her eyes at herself. "I'll try," she promised. "I'll try."

"Trust him," Lanie said. "You've done it so far, and you've been doing it for a year. Trust him."

Kate could feel the tears overflowing and she didn't want to be in tears on the phone to Lanie. She wouldn't put it past her best friend to make a call to Rick telling him about it all and she was hoping to keep it from him until she could find a better way to tell him. Blurting it out wasn't going to work. When it came to Alexis, she had to be delicate. "Thanks, Lanie," she said after a moment.

"You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," Kate managed with a sigh. "I'm just… I'm going to go hop in the bathtub."

"You do that," Lanie replied soothingly. "Have faith, Kate. You love each other, Alexis loves you. You'll figure it all out."

Kate certainly hoped so.

* * *

Kate smiled as she felt strong hands come to rest on her shoulders late the next morning, digging into her muscles slightly. "Hey," she said, tilting her head back.

"Hey yourself," Rick replied, leaning down to press a light kiss to her forehead, then the tip of her nose, then her mouth. "What's all this?"

She sighed. "They boys are stumped," she explained, choosing to leave out the details of Lanie, Esposito and the ME's personal connection to the case. "And I was on the phone with Lanie. I had them send me the file."

"And what would Roy say if he caught you working when you're supposed to be relaxing?" he teased, coming around the charming wicker loveseat she occupied. He knew there was something else there, something in the case that had her so focused, but coming out and asking simply wasn't their relationship. Kate simply answering wasn't their style either. If she wanted to tell him, she would.

Kate shot him a look that assured him he'd be missing a house guest if he even considered mentioning it. "Nothing when I crack this case."

"This must be a bit bruising to the ego," Rick said his hand coming up to slide through her ponytail. "You know, Ryan and Esposito unable to solve the case without you."

"They've been doing just fine without me and you know it," she shot back.

He had a feeling she was about to jump into a whole speech about teamwork, but he preempted it with a resounding kiss. "Give me the facts, Detective."

She chuckled slightly. "I don't think so. Just because I'm pitching in on my time off doesn't mean you are too. Your daughter's only been here for a week, there's got to be something the two of you can do."

"We'll get in trouble without you," Rick poured.

"I have a hard time believing that," she responded, turning back to the files and rearranging a few of the pages.

He pouted. "Spoilsport."

"Well," she said, laughter in her voice. "There's no reason for both of us to be working. And _I_ have to make sure I'm not rusty."

He kissed her again. "You like that I help."

"Most of the time," she agreed. "But a) your livelihood doesn't depend on your ability to crack cases and b) you've been writing since we've been here. Since it seems you can still weave a tale I think it's safe to say you're not out of practice."

"Your livelihood doesn't have to depend on solving cases," he said quietly.

Kate looked up at him. She schooled her face carefully. If there was one thing they'd learned over their three-week trip up the east coast, it was that they solved their personal problems best through adult rational discussion. Which meant she couldn't make assumptions and she couldn't jump to conclusions. "What do you mean?"

"You know I'm serious about you, that I'm in it for the long haul," he said, pulling the elastic out of her hair and cupping the back of her head. He focused on his fingers sliding through the strands. "You don't have to work, Kate."

"No," she murmured her agreement forcing herself not to blow. "But I'm going to."

"Kate-"

"No," she interrupted quietly, turning to face him and dislodging the hand in her hair. "I'm not going to stop being a cop, Rick. That's just not me. You know why I do the job, you know that giving a family closure is the most important thing to me. I want to give people what I don't have and my job means a lot to me. I'm not going to stop because you're afraid."

"You know, I didn't really think you would," he replied with a wry smile. "But it was worth a shot."

She leaned against him again, smiling as he pressed a soft kiss to her hair. "Can you imagine me filling my days with shopping?"

"No," Rick said with a laugh. "But I want to protect you."

"I know," she replied. "You don't have to, remember? And you know you're more than welcome back into the precinct. You make a pretty good partner."

"You make an excellent detective." He blew out a breath. "You're sure you want to go back?"

"Of course I'm sure," she said with a little laugh. "It's part of me. And remember, I'm twice as careful on the job as I am off the job."

"I still don't like you being in danger."

"I know," she answered. "But just think… you've put yourself in danger hundreds of times for your novels and you've never listened to me about staying in the car. You can't ask of me things you can't ask of yourself."

He grumbled. "You know, I hate it when you throw my actions in my face."

Kate laughed as she kissed his cheek. "I know. But it's the only effective argument." She patted his thigh. "Now go play with your daughter while I try and solve this case for the boys."

"Can I hold it over their heads if you do?" he asked with bright eyes.

She rolled hers. "No, Rick. They'll feel bad enough without your help."

"You're not fun."

Her eyes gleamed as she looked him up and down. "You don't believe that for a second."

Rick grinned, leaning down and hauling her against his body for a kiss that curled her toes. "You and me," he mumbled against her lips. "Tonight."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," she teased.

"Have I ever done such a thing?" At her arched eyebrow he added, "in the bedroom?"

She ran a hand down his chest, tracing along his beltline. "Prove it to me."

"Oh, Detective. You can bet I will."

He flounced away and Kate laughed as she settled back in with the case file. One thing was for certain, he always kept life interesting.

. . . . .

Rick didn't actually feel all that flouncy when he was finally out of Kate's sight. In fact, he felt his stomach knot uncomfortably. She was hiding something from him, evading him and Alexis and doing things as a family. She'd been doing it for a week and he really didn't like the idea that now she had a case to focus on. Heck, she'd been avoiding even one-on-one time beyond when they snuggled together before bed. She still seemed happy and he could still see the affection in her eyes, but by this point, after just over a year, Rick knew Kate. Well. He could see the little chink in her armour. He could tell she was hiding something from him.

"Dad? Everything okay?"

He looked up at Alexis, who was just coming down the stairs in her pyjamas. Kate had been up early and he'd languished in bed thinking about what to do for as long as he could before he got bored. Alexis did, however, look awake and happy, so he plastered on a smile. His daughter had been extremely agreeable to every possible outing, even things he liked, but she really didn't. It was, as always, nice to spend time with his only offspring, especially since he knew she was moving across the country in less than a month. It was scary to know he was going to have to let her go, especially when she'd been his world for so long. He had Kate, but there was still a big part of him that was going to be a missing when Alexis left.

And now, he was starting to question if he was even going to have Kate. They knew a lot about each other, secrets, skeletons, everything, but Kate still had armour. It was her way, and she'd been independent for so long that he didn't really begrudge her the habit. Old habits die hard, and with the walls he'd had to break down to get to Kate, he wasn't surprised in the slightest that she still had some pieces of armour. There was no doubt in his mind that he had her heart, but that didn't automatically mean she was going to tell him absolutely everything.

Plus, Kate wasn't impulsive. She was a plotter, a processor, and she took her time making decisions. She thought things out, looked at every possible scenario and it was one of the ways they balanced each other out. It was one of the many things he loved about her and he'd come to trust that if there really was something wrong, she would tell him. Still, he didn't like this. At all. Something about everything here felt different and he didn't like the niggling idea in the back of his mind that she was actually – finally – pulling away from him. He'd been all but expecting it. After all, it had been a deranged fan of his, not a perp, that had put the bullet through her shoulder.

"Yeah," he finally answered Alexis' question. He paused a moment, feeling restless and edgy. "Why don't we go out for breakfast?"

"Sure," Alexis agreed immediately. "That little place in town on the beach?"

"Sure," he smiled, hugging her tightly.

She looked at him in confusion when she pulled away. "Are you sure everything's okay, Dad?"

Rick flicked her nose. "Of course. Go get dressed."

"Are you going to get Kate?" Alexis asked as she took the first few stairs two at a time.

Rick paused, swallowed, then said, "She's already eaten. Are you okay with just your old dad?"

"Of course not," his daughter answered immediately with a wide, bright smile. "I'll just be a few minutes."

"Sure," Rick replied and watched her bound up the stairs. He glanced briefly back at the sunroom where he knew Kate was busy. Maybe he could talk to her. Maybe when he got back from breakfast he could press the issue again. They'd come too far and he loved her too much to lose her now.

And yet, that's exactly what it was starting to feel like.

* * *

_So, here's the deal. One, I like this chapter and wanted to get it up. Two, I felt like this was kind of a nasty cliffhanger and I didn't want to leave you guys with this for a week while I was gone. So you get two chapters today, and then tomorrow night I'll post the next one because it's actually done. And, like this one, it's LONG. _

_This does mean that we've had the crossover moment with NY. The lovely phone conversation. If you'd like to know what's going on with Laine, it's chapter 9 of "Back in New York". That's the conversation that corresponds with Kate's conversation at the beginning of the chapter. It is not relevant to this story, so it's not a must, but it is the case Kate's looking at. _

_So, the next chapter will be up tomorrow night. For now, I hope you enjoyed this one and you guys aren't totally sick of me posting just yet!_


	5. Chapter 5

Around the World Book Three

**Trouble in the Hamptons**

_Chapter 5_

. . . . .

"Why are you pushing me away?"

They were lying in bed a few days later and Kate had been seconds from dropping off. _Seconds_. So a sleepy 'hm?' was all she could manage in response.

His hand continued to stroke over her back, his other one coming up to brush her hair behind her ear. "You're pushing me away."

"Pushing you away?" she questioned, bemused, as she pushed herself up on one elbow to look down at him. "How?"

"You're always telling me to go do things with Alexis, you're avoiding doing anything with the three of us… Is it Alexis?"

"I love Alexis," Kate defended immediately. Out of everything he could doubt, the _last_ thing she wanted him to worry about were her feelings regarding his daughter.

"Then I don't get it."

"I'm not pushing you away," she said, unable to stop herself from shifting to a sitting position. Sure, it moved her away from him, but she wanted her full attention on the conversation. It was a serious one and one even she admitted was probably overdue. It was also a serious accusation for him to be making considering all of the strides they'd made in letting each other in.

"You won't do anything with me anymore. You won't even walk the beach with me and leave Alexis to clean the dishes."

"Rick, she hates doing dishes. I don't mind the clean up." She laughed a little. "If you had a little more patience, you could help me next time and maybe we'll get that walk."

Rick sighed, pushing himself until he too was sitting upright, leaning against the headboard. "You're missing the point."

"I'm right here," she said, crawling closer until she could take his hand. She moved to sit in front of him, straddling his knees and settling on his shins. She didn't understand what he was trying to say. She was doing her best after her conversation with Alexis to make sure the teenager got as much time with her father as possible. They were about to go through a lot of seismic shifts and changes and if that meant Kate had to cut back on her alone time – and considering she'd had him to herself for two whole months it really wasn't a hardship – then she would.

"But you're not," he answered, squeezing her hand. "We haven't done anything, just the two of us, since Alexis got here."

She arched an eyebrow with a smirk and for once, he was the one to roll his eyes.

"Except that. And you've been avoiding doing things with me and Alexis like you never did before. What changed?"

Kate sighed and looked down at their hands. She absently started twisting one of the fingers on her free hand over his skin, tracing his knuckles, his hand, his wrist. "Alexis and I were talking," she began quietly, feeling like she was betraying the teenager's confidence. "And she's going away soon."

"Not for good."

"No," Kate agreed, mostly because she didn't think either of them would survive if the move was permanent. "But she's leaving nevertheless. And I had you to myself for two months while she was in New York."

"You were recovering from a gunshot wound," Rick defended.

She chuckled. "I'm not rationalizing, Rick. Alexis going back to New York while I did my recovery here was the best decision at the time and even though I argued about it initially, I stand by it now."

"Then I don't get it."

"She misses you," Kate said quietly, surprised Alexis hadn't brought the topic up with her father. She felt a little deflated, her hopes that Alexis was talking to her dad about at least _some_ of what she was going through dashed in five short words. Apparently, that hadn't been the case. "She wants to spend as much time with you as possible before she heads off to college. Since I had you to myself for almost sixty days, the least I can do is let her have her time."

"But at your sacrifice?"

Now she was getting exasperated. "I'm not sacrificing anything. She wants to spend time with you. She's used to doing things with you and not having me around, even though we've done a lot, all three of us and even though I've been around for a year. Longer. She wants her Dad Time as much as possible before she loses it."

"And how do you know that she doesn't want you to be a part of that?" he asked, letting go of her hand to rest his palm on her knee.

She pinned him with a look. "Tell me this isn't about worrying about me," she demanded. "Tell me this isn't linked to your need to be constantly touching me."

"I am not constantly touching you," he defended. "No more than usual."

"It is different," she argued. "It's like you're making sure I'm still here, that I'm either not leaving or not dying."

"It is not!" he exclaimed, his voice rising.

"It is too! You've been doing it since I woke up in the hospital. I think if I was going to disappear I would have by now, and if _that's_ why you think I'm pulling away-"

"You almost died!"

"But I didn't." She was forcing herself to stay calm now. The touching was one thing; it was small and she didn't mind it all that much, but if his need to spend time with her stemmed even partially from the same need to reassure himself she was alive, they had more problems than she'd thought. She thought they'd dealt with all that and gotten past a lot of the fears that came on the heels of being shot. She knew there was always going to be fear in him, but she wasn't even back on the job yet! She wasn't putting herself into danger. Hell, she barely left the house.

"Do you have any idea what it was like to have you laying there, a bullet in your shoulder and blood pouring out? Do you have any idea what kind of agony we went through in that waiting room waiting for any crumb of news on how you were doing?"

"You went through it with me, in painfully vivid detail," she reminded him. It was one of the joint sessions they'd done with Garrett and even the thought of it made her shiver unpleasantly.

"But it wasn't like _being_ there. So I'm sorry if I need to remind myself I almost lost you."

The sarcasm bit at her. "Don't be sarcastic with me," she snapped, ignoring the fact that she was starting to raise her voice too. "I'm trying to be helpful. I'm trying to give your daughter what she wants before she goes away and I'm sorry that you're cranky about it."

"Cranky about it?" he said. "No, what I'm cranky about is that there's something else afoot and you won't tell me."

"I _have_ told you!" she exclaimed. "Alexis wants to spend time with you. She misses you. She missed you."

"Since when did Alexis and I spending time together _not_ include you?"

"Since she asked," Kate shot back.

Rick arched an eyebrow. "She asked you to back off. My daughter. Are we talking about the same child?"

"She asked me last week if it was okay if you guys did things without me. She asked me if I would be angry if I was left out of some of your activities. When she told me it was because she just wanted time with her dad between being in New York for two months without you and leaving for college, I wasn't about to say no," Kate said through gritted teeth. "I'm not pulling away, I'm not withdrawing in on myself, I'm not going to lose it and you really need to stop this incessant need to reassure yourself that I'm okay."

She saw the thundercloud overtake his face and had a split second to get off him before he pushed himself out of bed, walking back and forth beside it for a few moments. "I can't do that," he said after a moment. "I can't turn it off, okay? I _love_ you, Kate, which means I _care_ about you, which means your well-being is important to me. I need you living and breathing. Hell, I just need you. Can't you see that?"

"Of course I can!" she exclaimed in response. "I need you too, but that doesn't mean that we have to be attached at the hip!"

"No, but it does mean that we should be spending time together!"

"What do you want, a schedule, Rick? Three o'clock, oh, that means it's time for Trivial Pursuit." She rolled her eyes. "Your daughter is going away in less than two weeks. I can't understand why you don't want to spend as much time with her as you can."

"And I can't understand how you got it in your stubborn brain that the time I spend with my daughter doesn't include you!"

"Did you not listen to me? She _asked_ _for it_."

They were yelling now, both of them, and Kate felt a headache building up behind her eyes. How the hell had they done this? How had they managed to make such a mundane thing into a fight about them? She brought her hands to her temples hoping to forestall the ache.

"I can't believe we're having this conversation," she sighed.

"Oh, and why not?" he asked sarcastically. "You thought you'd be able to shove it all under the carpet? Thought I wouldn't notice that you won't do things with me and Alexis besides eat meals? Thinking of going back to your old ways?"

"Now that's unfair!" Actually, it stung. A lot. Because Lanie had begged her to avoid doing just that, and Kate had been sure she wasn't.

"Is it? You're using Alexis to cover it up!"

"Seriously? You don't believe that she'd ask for one-on-one time with her _father_?"

"I believe that you would get scared. I believe that you wouldn't want to tell me you were pulling away."

"After everything we've been through, you seriously believe I wouldn't be open with you? That I wouldn't tell you if something was bothering me?" She couldn't keep the hurt from infiltrating her voice. "I thought we were past that."

"So did I!"

Kate pushed herself up and away from the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"Away," she said. "Down to the patio until we can actually talk about this instead of yelling at each other."

"You've never backed down from a fight before."

She stopped at the door. "Your daughter's never been within hearing distance when we had one before. We're not done, Rick, don't believe that for a minute, but we can't do this if we're yelling at each other and accusing each other of being insecure."

Kate sighed again as she stepped out of the room. She should have known he would see it as pulling away. It was the thing he was most afraid of: that her shooting would make her re-evaluate things between them, that she'd see him as too dangerous. She padded quietly down the stairs and slid the back door open silently, stepping out into the cool ocean air. She breathed in the salty scent on the breeze and forced herself to calm down.

She could see his point. It did look like she didn't want to spend time with them both, and her interactions with Rick had been almost solely limited to cuddling when they watched TV or movies – one of the few activities where Kate felt like she wouldn't be intruding – or in bed after Alexis had gone to sleep.

"Kate?" A sleepy Alexis padded across the patio to join her on the edge. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Kate managed with a small smile.

Alexis bit her lip for a moment as she took a seat. "If everything's okay, why were you and Dad fighting?"

"We had a disagreement, Honey," Kate said, throwing an arm around the teenager and pulling her closer. "We've had them before."

"I know. It's just… does he always look like you've torn his heart out? I think he thinks you're going to leave."

Kate felt a pang in her stomach. There was so much more than concern for her dad in those words, so much vulnerability and Kate was reminded that even though Alexis was a very mature seventeen, she was still really just a kid. "We never like to hurt the ones we love," she said quietly. "Sometimes though… sometimes we don't really get a choice. Sometimes it just happens." She took a deep breath. "Alexis, you're a smart girl. You know your dad and I fight."

"Not like this," Alexis responded in a small voice. "Not with all the yelling."

The detective looked over, taking in the frown lines on Alexis' face and the fear in her eyes. "Is this how your dad's divorces started?"

Alexis jolted. "What?"

"When your dad divorced your mom, did they fight before she left? Really fight?" Her hand smoothed up and down Alexis' arm. She had absolutely no intention of going anywhere because of a fight they probably should have had ages ago, and Kate had a feeling that disappearing was one of the things Alexis was afraid of when it came to Kate's relationship with Rick. Alexis, Kate knew, was aware of the publicity stunt that had almost ruined their relationship before it had really begun. Now that Kate thought about it, it would make sense for Alexis to have the same fear of her leaving after getting shot by one of Rick's fans.

"I don't remember," the teenager responded. "I was too young."

"What about his second wife?"

"They fought all the time."

"But it got worse right? Just before they split?"

Alexis looked down at the hands in her lap. "Yeah."

Kate chuckled slightly and hugged Alexis closer. "You know, when your dad and I were driving up the east coast, we fought all the time."

"You did?" Alexis asked in surprise. It didn't seem like anything had changed when she'd arrived in the Hamptons. They seemed good, affectionate, the same way they were when they were having a lazy night at home.

"Oh yeah," Kate answered with a laugh. "My relationship with your dad is built on a certain amount of constant irritation."

Alexis chuckled at that. "He has that uncanny ability."

"Well, he exercised it thoroughly on our way here." She looked back out over the ocean. "I've been shot before," she said quietly. "So I know what I can do and what I can't. I know what pace I need, what meds… It wasn't new to me. But it was new to your dad, and the fact that it was one of his fans that shot me kind of shook him a bit. Add to that the fact that it was _me_, that I'd been seconds from coding on the table? Well, let's just say he hovered."

"He does that."

"He does," Kate agreed. "And his compassion and his capacity for love are two things that are usually good traits and I usually love them, but he was in uncharted territory and his usual ability to pull back and realize when I just needed space seemed to be overwhelmed by the idea that I needed him to do everything for me."

"He does that every time I have the flu, even when I'm better," Alexis said with a chuckle.

"Exactly. We fought like rabid dogs until we found some even keel. Fighting is the way we get our issues out. It's always been like that."

"But I've never heard it," Alexis said. "I mean, I've been there when you've given Dad the cold shoulder and I've had to deal with him when he's angry at you, but I've never heard you yell at each other."

"We didn't want you to," Kate replied. "You knowing we're mad at each other is one thing, but we didn't want to bring our conflicts into your life."

The redhead paused for a moment. "So the nights you guys spend at your apartment…"

Kate laughed heartily. "Yeah, those were usually the nights when we couldn't hold it in any longer and you were home."

"So… You guys are going to be okay?"

"We'll come to terms with it," Kate promised, kissing the teenager's temple. "We're in our separate corners, we'll think about it, and maybe we'll be able to discuss it next time instead of fighting. If not, we'll just fight again until it's all out in the open."

Alexis shook her head before dropping it on Kate's shoulder. "You guys are so weird."

Kate chuckled as she rested her head against the teenagers. "Most people would consider this normal."

"Yeah, but you and Dad have never really been normal." There was a pause for a moment. "I just… I worry."

"About your dad?"

"About your relationship," Alexis replied candidly. She met Kate's eyes earnestly. "If you leave him, you're going to hurt him."

"Sweetie," Kate said with a sigh, "I don't want to go anywhere. I don't want to be anywhere else. We've been through so much together and I love your dad. I love you. There's nowhere else I want to be and there's nowhere I want to go, okay? I'm not going to leave. This is one fight, and one that we'll fix. It's not a make-or-break milestone moment, okay?"

Alexis lifted her head and searched Kate's face for a moment before replacing her head on Kate's shoulder. "Okay."

They continued to just sit there, Kate's hand rubbing up and down Alexis' arm until the teen's body went lax against hers. But even then, she continued to sit there, sand between her toes and waves lapping up on the shore. She hoped that this helped Alexis, that the teenager would see that everything was going to be okay and that Kate wasn't going to balk and run. And she hoped that this was the first step in Alexis starting to address the things that she'd been obviously feeling since the shooting. Eventually, she heard the door slide open, but didn't turn her head. Rick came around in front of her, crouching down and reaching out to run a hand over Alexis' cheek.

"How long's she been out?" he asked softly, not wanting to wake her.

"What time is it?" Kate replied, her voice just as quiet.

"A little after eleven."

"About twenty minutes maybe?" Kate kissed the top of Alexis' head. "She heard us."

"We weren't quiet," he said, his eyes still on his daughter.

"I think we scared her."

Rick hummed in the back of his throat. "Gina and I fought like crazy before we got divorced."

"That's what Alexis said," Kate agreed. "But we'll solve it."

Now his eyes met hers. "When you tell me I was right."

Kate felt her ire rise again and forced herself to take a deep breath. Despite Kate's first-hand knowledge of missing a parent when they're right beside you and the fact that Alexis had told her one on one that she was having problems with how much attention her father gave to Kate, it was painfully obvious that Rick wasn't willing to listen to her.

"I don't want to fight with you," she said quietly, her eyes flicking back and forth between his blues.

"I don't like fighting either, but this time, I'm right."

"Daddy?" Alexis shifted and Kate looked away, over Rick's shoulder to the waves again.

"Hey, Pumpkin."

The redhead snuggled closer to Kate's side for a moment before blinking bleary eyes open. "Oh!"

Kate immediately looked at Alexis with a reassuring smile. "You've only been out about twenty minutes."

"Oh." She looked between them. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine, Honey," Rick responded. "Let's get you to bed, huh?"

For a minute, it looked like Alexis was going to protest, but it was cut off by a rather large yawn. "Yeah. I think that's a good idea."

Kate stayed where she was while Rick carried Alexis inside. She wasn't surprised when he came back out to take a seat beside her.

"Alexis really asked you if she and I could spend more time, just the two of us?"

"Yup," she replied. "You really think I don't want to spend time with you guys?"

"No," he acquiesced. Alexis had actually told him not to blame Kate just seconds before dropping off to sleep again.

"Do you really think I'm pulling away? After everything, do you still think I'm going to walk away from this?"

There was a vulnerability in her voice that caught his heart and forced out his honesty. "Sometimes," he admitted. "I'm waiting for you to realize that you're taking on too much, that you're taking more risks off the job by being with me and facing down crazy fans and paparazzi than you take on the job."

"I haven't thought that for months, Rick," she said. "And I considered it for _maybe_ half a second when I first woke up from the shooting. I don't have any plans to go anywhere, and that includes leaving." She looked at him, cupping his chin in her hands. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do," he replied immediately, one of his hands coming to wrap around her slim wrist.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," Rick replied, leaning forward to press his mouth to hers. "Alexis and I both kind of like having you around."

She laughed, stroking his face. "Hey Rick?"

"Yes Kate?"

"Do you think we could build a sandcastle tomorrow?"

"Just you and me?"

Kate shook her head. "You, me and Alexis."

He grinned as he always did when her childish side came out of hiding. "I think that's an excellent idea."

* * *

_Last post for this fic before vacation! But less of a cliffie than the last chapter, so I don't feel completely and utterly terrible for leaving you guys here. _

_For those of you who want it, there's a make-up sex scene that fits in here. Thank RainneCassidy, who does wonders for my M-rated muse. It's posted as it's own oneshot piece. _

_Have a good week! And leave me a review so that when I come back I have too many to count and have to spend an entire day responding to them? I'd appreciate it!_


	6. Chapter 6

Around the World Book Three

**Trouble in the Hamptons**

_Chapter 6  
_

. . . . .

Rick, admittedly, liked most of the adjustments that had been made since his fight with Kate. He'd been shocked, definitely, that Alexis would go to Kate with the problem before coming to him, but he also knew Kate. There was no way she was going to be underhanded, to try and drive a wedge into his relationship with his daughter by virtually accusing her of trying to divide them. That wasn't Alexis, and it wasn't Kate. It had required some shifts and changes, some balancing and he'd taken it upon himself to be the main pivot. Since it was both of his girls vying for his attention, he figured it was only fair.

And he was doing his best. When he was with Alexis, going for ice cream, strolling down the beach, goofing in the surf, he did his utmost to keep his contact with Kate to a minimum. He still took his phone, still checked it periodically, but he did his best to keep away from constantly checking up on Kate. She'd been right, to a certain extent, in accusing him of trying to keep reminding himself that she was alive and okay. Kate was an adult, she could take care of herself for the time he was off with Alexis.

But it wasn't perfect. Most of his alone time with Kate was still relegated to the evenings and he still had to push to leave Alexis watching a movie so they could have some time to themselves. It was obvious to him that there was still a big part of Kate that felt guilty for taking up time that Alexis could spend with her dad, but Rick justified it to himself by saying that Kate was going to have to get used it. Or Alexis would. They were both important to him, and he'd gotten used to rather regular time where it was just him and Kate. He didn't want to offend his daughter, but he wanted time with his Kate too.

And it was his puzzling that had him up at a stupid hour of the night – or morning, but he'd been refusing to look at the clock, worried that he'd drive himself nuts with how long he'd been awake – Kate curled against his side.

It was the first time he was happy for it, though. Kate started to struggle in her sleep, kick at him and caught a few good licks in too before he bundled her up against him, holding on tight and murmuring in her ear. She woke with a sob and wide, unseeing eyes.

"I'm here," he murmured. "Right here. You're okay." And he was shaken.

They both had periodic nightmares. Hers came more often, though he was pretty damned sure that had everything to do with her job and not so much to do with the ordeal they went through a few months before. She always told him she was used to nightmares. Even after a year of being with her, of sharing her bed, he wasn't used to it. It didn't help that her nightmares had only added to his feelings of puzzlement. This was the third major nightmare she'd had since falling asleep, naked and warm against his side.

Kate was crying, but he didn't say anything, just stroked up and down her back the same way he would Alexis if his daughter had been the one having the nightmares. He _hated_ this. With everything in him. But he wasn't stupid enough to think that the nightmares would just go away. Garrett had told them when they'd started talking about the nightmares that it was nature's way of dealing with difficult things. Trauma like he and Kate had been through, like Kate herself had been through, would naturally result in terrible nightmares. Nevertheless, despite everything he knew and everything Garrett had told them, it was _killing_ him to see her torn up about it. The last person he would ever imagine with those wide, vacant eyes of unknown fear was his Kate and yet, he'd seen it, more in the last few months than he really cared to count.

He kissed her head when her sobs subsided into trembling, holding her close, murmuring absolutely nothing into her hair. When her head raised to take him in, the red rimming around them almost broke his heart. Still, it was her hand that came up to delicately trace over his cheek gently.

"You haven't slept."

The way she could do that, tell when he was upset, angry, restless, never ceased to surprise him and warm his heart. She knew him so well and he had to admit, it felt good. He snatched her wrist gently, pressing a kiss to her palm. "It doesn't matter."

She sighed. "It does, Rick. What's going on?"

If it hadn't been for the fight they'd had only a few days before, if it hadn't been for the fact that they'd discovered long ago that _not_ talking was dangerous to their relationship, he probably would have shrugged her off. As it was, he knew how important talking to her was, especially considering his nearly constant concern that she was going to realize being with him was too dangerous and walk away. Logically, he knew it was wrong to think that, that out of the two of them it was her job that was really the more dangerous of the two, but that didn't stop him from getting worried.

"I love you," he began, knowing that holding back from her was useless and knowing that the question had been asked as much out of genuine concern for him. "I'm having a hard time balancing you and Alexis."

Kate didn't wince, she didn't draw back, she didn't even stiffen. It was almost as if she saw it coming. "It's not easy," she agreed.

He sighed. "I miss you," he admitted. "I love Alexis and I love spending time with her. I _want_ to spend time with her before she goes to Stanford but... I love spending time with you. And we've been cut off since we had our fight."

Kate arched an eyebrow.

"Not like that," he said with a light chuckle. "You have a dirty mind, Sweetheart."

She shivered, as she always did when he called her things like 'Sweetheart'. It never ceased to amaze her, the distinct difference she felt when she was with him. She didn't have to be strong, something it had taken her months to adjust to before the shooting, and then more time when she was recovering. She had him, through and through and she knew that without a shadow of a doubt. It was that faith that allowed her to lean on him, to allow him to absorb some of her strength, to support her.

"We've had two months, Rick," she replied. She hadn't wanted to say it. She'd been battling nightmares back all night, fighting tooth and nail to remind herself that he was there, and alive, and there was nothing she wanted more than to be able to immerse herself in him for twenty-four hours. But there was Alexis to consider, and that meant shifts and compromises to their original post-nightmare routine.

"You're having nightmares. Bad ones. I want... I want you, Kate."

It never ceased to amaze her when he couldn't seem to put things into words she'd understand, but it also made her smile when she realized that he didn't need to. They both needed the reassurance, needed the time to reconnect that they hadn't really taken after fighting, but they'd both had eight months with Alexis prior to her shooting. The fact that they'd gotten used to a new routine needed to be put aside and they both knew it.

"You have me," she reminded him, curling tighter, throwing a thigh over his.

He shifted her until she lay sprawled across his chest, a favourite position for both of them when they needed the comfort. "Tell me about them."

She sighed in pleasure, feeling his mouth come to her shoulder, sliding his lips and teeth up to nip at her pulse. "There's nothing new to tell," she admitted with a soft whimper. "It's the same thing, the same tearing pain, the same realization that it's you dying, not me."

"You've had more than one."

Kate sighed, and this time it had nothing to do with pleasure. "Sometimes, Alexis is there, she sees you go down. Sometimes I know about it in advance and I can't stop it. Sometimes I get there when it's too late. You know all the variations, Rick." She pushed his hair off his forehead. "I want us too. We were spoiled."

He kissed her, holding her head in place as he deepened the contact. "Alexis will understand if we want to take a day."

"You told her you'd go walking the boardwalk with her," she reminded him, her body relaxing in his arms. She was pliant against him, her bones melting at the contact of his hands and with the passion of his kiss.

"She'll understand," he repeated, his hands moving urgently against her. "She'll understand."

She had other arguments, really she did, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember what they were now. And she wanted him, needed him, so she let herself get lost in Rick's hands and his mouth and hoped he could get lost in her.

* * *

It was inching towards noon by the time Rick and Kate started talking about getting out of bed. They'd slept in to begin with – because even after their tryst Kate had battled back two more nightmares and Rick still hadn't been able to sink into real sleep – then settled themselves with cuddling under the bedclothes. There was still urgency in their movements, in the way her fingers dug into his shoulders slightly and in the tight way he held her to him, even if it was hidden under a thin veneer of relaxation.

And that was how Alexis found them around one, still curled up together in bed. She, on the other hand, was bouncing, dressed and ready to go. Rick wanted to bury his head in a hole. He didn't tell Alexis 'no' very often, at least not straight, and he knew he was going to break her heart by telling her now. He pushed himself up with one more squeeze to Kate's hand and she followed suit.

When Alexis caught sight of them, she frowned. "You're not ready to go."

He blew out a breath as he tightened his hand in Kate's. "I don't think we should go, Pumpkin."

Alexis looked like she'd been slapped in the face. "Why? The storm? Dad, we've run around in worse."

"It's not the storm," he said quietly. He took a deep breath. He'd done everything he could over the years to give Alexis his everything and he hated disappointing her. With the fight with Kate and the idea that all his little girl wanted was to spend time with him before leaving for college, this was even harder to ask. "Kate and I... We need the day."

Alexis caught on quick. "Without me. You want time without me. I've been looking forward to this, Dad."

"I know," Rick said immediately, moving to get out of bed before remembering he was still in his birthday suit. "And I'm sorry, I really am, Sweetheart. We just... we need some time. We had a bad night."

"You had a bad night." The words were clipped, cool, but the raised eyebrow spoke of Alexis' obvious irritation her eyes flicked to Kate. "You had a bad night and now he can't even come to the boardwalk with me?"

Kate blinked, trying furiously to understand how it had all become her fault. "I'm not your father's keeper," she said slowly, quietly.

"Oh please. If you so much as stubbed your toe he'd be beside you in a second."

"Alexis, don't be mad at Kate," Rick began, clenching his hands in the bed sheets. He wanted to reassure his daughter, he really did, preferably with touch, but he couldn't get out of bed naked. Not in front of his teenage daughter.

"Don't be mad at Kate?" Alexis shot back. "She's ruining _everything_." Then she stomped off. The minute the door to the master bedroom slammed, both Kate and Rick were up, the former throwing on hastily grabbed sweatpants and a t-shirt and the latter just reaching for his nearby boxers. They were both heading for Alexis' room before being fully dressed, sensing the battle ensuing in the teenager. Rick wanted to comfort his daughter. Kate wanted to make sure Alexis finally got the chance to explode.

Honestly, it made Kate nervous. She'd seen this coming, knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before Alexis finally blew. The things she'd been through in the last four months would break even the strongest and most mature of people and, she realized, she and Rick had forgotten one fundamental thing: Alexis was still a child. A grown up child, yes. A young woman, yes, but a child in so many ways.

"Alexis-"

"No!" the redhead exclaimed, tearing off the sweater she was wearing and tossing it aside in a fit of anger. "You're going to tell me that she's _good_ for me, that she's _good _for us," she accused her father. Her angry gaze swung to Kate. "You know, Detective Beckett, I thought you of all people would understand what it would be like to miss your dad. I thought you'd get that I'm leaving, that you had him all to yourself, but apparently it doesn't work like that. Apparently you're too selfish."

Kate held out a hand when her father moved to step in again. "This is between me and Alexis," she told him quietly, her eyes holding Alexis' ice blues. She directed her next words at the redhead. "You know that's not true."

"Do I?" Alexis shot back, the tears spilling over to run down her cheeks. "I can't even enjoy an afternoon with my dad anymore. He always has to talk to you, call you, text you... He's not mine anymore and he's not mine because you had to go get yourself _shot_."

"Alexis..." Kate began.

"Is that why you encouraged me to move out for school?" Alexis cried, cutting the detective off. "So you and Dad could create your own little love nest without some bratty teenager around? And now Grams is moving out too so you've got the whole place to yourself without a care in the world."

The teenager saw the flash in the detective's eyes, but to her credit, Kate stayed stone-faced. "You know that's not true," she repeated.

"For all I know you're just in this because Dad made you famous. Maybe you're just settling because you feel like you owe him. Maybe it's all about the money and the fame and not about _us_."

Rick stood then, ignoring Kate and moving between them. He could take a lot, he could respect that he couldn't step between every issue Kate and Alexis had, but he was not going to sit idly by and let Alexis accuse Kate of being everything he loathed. "Enough," he roared and both Alexis and Kate jumped. "That is enough."

Kate regained her senses first, stepping forward to rest a hand on his arm. "Don't," she said quietly. "I know she doesn't mean it."

"Don't put words in my mouth," Alexis spat.

This time, the detective allowed the hurt to ripple across her face and Alexis felt her stomach cramp uncomfortably. With a quiet sigh, Kate turned and walked out of the room with careful, measured steps, leaving father and daughter alone.

Rick looked at his daughter's flashing blue eyes, at the tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to have to make a choice, Alexis," he told her quietly, but sternly, in full father mode, the one she didn't see often. "I won't make a choice. Kate has never pictured our relationship without you and I need you to do the same for her. I love her, and I love you and I need you both in my life. So I think you need to do some thinking." He took a deep breath and Alexis could see that this hurt him, that he didn't like this conversation. "I'll call Jack and let him know to pick you up. Until you can come to grips with the fact that Kate is going to be a huge part of _our_ lives, maybe the best place for you is at home."

With that, her father turned and headed after Kate and Alexis plopped to her bed, curling up in the foetal position and sobbing into her pillow.

* * *

_I'm hoping this turned out the way I wanted to and made sense. _

_Now, yes, I know the chances of Rick kicking Alexis home and staying in the Hamptons isn't good. More likely he'd like... send her to her room or the equivalent of what you can do for a teenager like Alexis. But it did need to happen for the rest of the story. _

_And I'm back. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be completed, but I'm pretty sure it'll happen in the next 72 hours or so. _

_Off to post for NY!_

_PS: I'm tired. I don't know why. There's a lot more I wanted to say, but I can't now because I forget!_


	7. Chapter 7

Around the World Book Three

**Trouble in the Hamptons**

_Chapter 7  
_

. . . . .

Upon leaving Alexis' room, Rick had every intention of tracking Kate down. But, he paused at the top of the stairs as his daughter's sobs floated from beneath her bedroom door. His stomach was churning uncomfortably and he could feel a nasty headache building behind his eyes.

There was a definite part of him that felt incredibly guilty. At the first inkling of trouble, that first day Alexis had arrived at the mansion, he should have stepped in, talked to Alexis, tried to do _something_, but he'd been so blinded by the fact that she was finally there that he really hadn't thought about it. Alexis had always acted with age beyond her years and Rick knew that as much as he raised his daughter, she'd often raised him. They had an incredible relationship on top of it and he was starting to realize that he was starting to overestimate not only that relationship but her maturity. Alexis acted older than she was, and he seemed to have forgotten that she was still just seventeen. She was still Daddy's Little Girl.

In many ways, it outright _hurt_ to have those kinds of thoughts. He felt like Alexis should have been able to come to him and talk to him about how she was feeling. He'd hoped that these were the types of problems Alexis would approach him about, rather than bottle it all up or address it through Kate. He was ninety-eight percent sure that Alexis didn't mean a word of what she said. Once Alexis had joined them in the Hamptons, she'd come up more and more often when Rick talked to Garrett. Those talks had helped him see that this was just Alexis' way of dealing, and lashing out in the only way she knew how. What he hadn't anticipated was the sheer magnitude of such explosion.

It didn't help that Kate had been the unfortunate target either.

To top it off, Rick knew that since the beginning of his romantic relationship with Kate, he'd been waiting for her to realize that she'd taken on too much. He was waiting for her to come to the conclusion that she was much too good for him. Every revelation about her, every new piece of her that he got to see, he treated as pieces of one of his greatest treasures. At this point, he knew a lot about his detective and he knew that despite the fact that logic and psychology said Alexis was simply and finally reacting, there was a part of Kate that would definitely take it personally. She tried not to, did everything in her power to act like the opinions of others didn't matter to her, but Rick knew that wasn't true. At its most basic, the fact that Kate still religiously set aside the society pages of the paper in the morning spoke volumes as to how uncomfortable was with what the public and strangers thought. Alexis was his flesh and blood, one of the few women who pretty much held utter and complete control over him. She had been the love of his life before Kate had barged in with a badge, attitude and Fort Knox around her heart.

He also knew that Kate hadn't really had doubts. Not since he tried to convince her to shift their relationship to something more romantic, anyway. There was always utter sincerity and conviction in her voice when she told him she loved him. Even Garrett had asked Kate about whether or not she resented or regretted starting a relationship with Rick and every time, Kate had answered in the negative. She didn't blame him. Of course, Rick thought she should. She had every reason to. The fact that she didn't was just one more thing that made her so utterly extraordinary.

Of course, that didn't mean that Rick didn't know or understand exactly where that blame should be realistically placed. But, for the woman that had done so much damage to those he loved, a cage seemed too easy, a trial to slow considering the pain Bianca was still inflicting on people like Kate and Alexis.

_God,_ he thought to himself, dropping his head into his palms, his elbows supported on his thighs, _you really dropped the ball on this one Ricky._

Because as he listened to his daughters tears and agonized over what Kate was thinking, he was starting to realize that separating Alexis from Kate's recovery may not have done any good. If anything, it was starting to look like it only managed to make things worse.

* * *

Once Kate had cried for almost fifteen minutes, she managed to pull herself together and do the only thing she could think of considering the situation: she called Lanie.

"Parish."

The breathless way her best friend answered the phone told Kate she'd interrupted something and she winced. Yet, at the same time, she didn't care. She would apologize to Lanie later, right now, she just really needed her best friend. "Alexis finally exploded."

There was shuffling for a moment, and Kate could hear Lanie's muffled voice making her excuses to whoever she was with – Kate would put money on Esposito – before she came back loud and clear. "Tell me everything."

And Kate did. She recounted every painful detail, everything she'd been keeping inside about Alexis, about Rick… she just let go.

"Well, gotta give it to the girl, she certainly knows how to make a scene," Lanie said when Kate finished.

"You're not helping," Kate replied, despite her watery chuckle. She wiped impatiently at her eyes, irritated with herself for crying again, for letting it all get to her when she knew that Alexis had only done what she'd anticipated.

"You know she doesn't mean it, Kate," the ME reminded her. "You said it yourself, she finally exploded. Finally." There was a pause. "You think she genuinely disapproves?"

"I don't know what to think," the detective admitted. "Logic tells me she couldn't mean it. Even with Martha's influence and Meredith's genetics Alexis isn't _that_ good of an actress. She's too good, too pure to be able to put on that brave of a face for a year. We would have known if she didn't approve long before now."

"But," Lanie prompted.

"But… what if she _is_ that good? What if she doesn't like that I'm with Rick? I can't just… go." God, the thought alone made her nauseous. She wasn't going to walk away from Rick. At this point, she wasn't sure she _could_.

"Have you talked to Castle about it?" Lanie asked next.

Kate blew out a breath. "Only vaguely? Mostly I've talked to Garrett."

"Garrett? Girl, I've been up to date on your recovery, but Garrett? You got a guy on the side already?"

"He's the only psychologist Rick would agree on seeing," Kate said, feeling her lips tilt upwards. This was why Lanie was her best friend. "I think… we've all just gone to our separate corners right now."

"Some space might do you all some good," Lanie agreed.

"I hope so."

"Girl, you gotta have faith. You and Writer Boy have been through a lot, both good and bad and you guys are good together. We all know that, you know that, Rick knows that, and, most importantly Alexis knows that. Your logic hasn't failed you before and I highly doubt it would fail you here," the ME replied.

"Thanks, Lanie," Kate said, swiping at her eyes again. She looked up at the gentle knock on the archway between the kitchen and the sunroom.

Rick gave her a tremulous smile, "Got a minute?"

She nodded. "Lanie, I have to go."

"Of course you do." Still, Kate could tell by the pause that Lanie wasn't finished. Sure enough a moment later, Lanie said, "Remember you love him Kate. That's enough."

Kate wanted to believe that, more than anything, as she pressed end and set the phone aside. She looked up at Rick, aware she looked like hell. He didn't hesitate in approaching her and she was thankful for his touch as he bundled her into his arms.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Oh God. She'd forgotten about this. He would blame himself, of course he would. "Don't be stupid," she replied. "It's not your fault."

"I should have known better."

"_We_ should have known better. This isn't just about you, Rick. I recognized the signs ages ago, I'm equally to blame for this," Kate retorted, her tone warning. She wasn't going to put up with his blame game, not now, not when she needed reassurance more than apologies. She just wanted to be _here_, to be in his arms, to remind herself that Lanie had been right. She hadn't always been one to believe that love conquered all, but on this rare occasion, she needed to cling to that hope.

"How about we don't place blame." His lips brushed against her hair. "Are you ready to talk about it?"

She almost smiled. He'd learned that she wasn't always ready to talk. Sometimes, she needed to process, to talk to someone else, someone outside of the conflict. Instead, she swallowed the lump that had returned to her throat. "She doesn't mean it, right?"

"Of course not," Rick answered, his hand stroking up her back in response to her small, vulnerable tone. "Sweetheart, you know Alexis loves you. You know that."

"Do I?" Kate whispered. "What if she's been hiding it?"

She was grateful when Rick laughed. "We'd both know. I've grown up with actresses, Kate. I can spot one a mile away." He tilted her chin back to brush his mouth gently over hers. "And you are New York's greatest detective."

"What are we going to do then?" Kate asked on a sigh.

"I've told her to go home until she can straighten out her priorities," he admitted. "I need her to understand that you're a big part of my life."

"You can't send her back to New York," she argued, bolting upright. "That's what got us into this in the first place. She's going to think you're abandoning her."

"We all need some perspective," he countered wisely. "We all need some space."

"New York is a lot of space, Rick. Isn't there…" She blew out a breath. "I don't want her to go back to New York."

Rick sucked in air. "I don't think this place is big enough for us to have our space and be in the same place, Sweetheart."

"She has to have a friend in the area," Kate insisted. The last thing she really wanted was to put _more _space between them and her gut was telling her that sending Alexis back to New York would be doing just that.

"Okay," he replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, sensing almost a hysteria in her voice. "I'll see. I'll ask. I'll make some calls."

She cuddled into him again, wrapping her arms tightly around him. He rubbed his knuckles up and down her spine and she could feel her entire body relax. After a few minutes, he went to shift and she tightened her grip. He kissed her forehead, her temple.

"You're going to have to let me go so I can make those calls," he said.

"In a minute," she replied, tightening her grip again. "In a minute."

There was a rush of relief that flooded through him. He released a sigh as he wrapped his arms back around her again. "Yeah," he agreed. "Okay." And he hugged her close, reassuring himself as much as her that they were together and they were going to get through this. It was just a bump in the road, something they could smooth over.

It had to be.

* * *

_So, as per the theme, this turned out a lot different than I anticipated. _

_And I'm freaking exhausted. I had a flight from the deep dark pits of hell that took five hours more than it was supposed to. It was brutal, but you got this! I would have had it done earlier, but my errand list was VERY long today!_

_I'm not sure when the next one will be up. I have to tweak it, maybe even re-write it so it'll probably be a little while. Patience is well-loved! Reviews even more so._


	8. Chapter 8

Around the World Book Three

**Trouble in the Hamptons**

_Chapter 8  
_

. . . . .

From childhood, Alexis had always been praised and taken pride in her maturity. It had become a staple part of her identity and extremely important to her. And yet, every ounce of carefully cultivated and beloved maturity had flown out the window when her father had asked for some time with Kate.

And Alexis was definitely mature enough to recognize when she'd screwed up.

She'd been staying at the nearby Proctor mansion, just a short walk down the beach from her home. The Proctors were family friends, a family they'd met when her dad had first bought the Hamptons summer home. She was especially close with Jack, the middle son and it was Jack who had greeted her with a close hug when she'd shown up three days prior. The family had been more than happy to have her around for a couple of days and thankfully hadn't asked too many questions.

But it wasn't like she was forbidden to go home either and her father had made it crystal clear that, as soon as she was ready, all she had to do was call and someone would be there to get her. Unlike the beginning of the summer, Alexis didn't feel like she'd been abandoned and understood that the separation was simply time to come to grips with everything and time to process. Nevertheless, Alexis didn't feel very ready yet.

"Hey Bunky."

"Don't call me Bunky," she grumbled as Jack came to settle beside her. She'd taken to spending all of her time on the beach, sitting there, watching the waves.

He settled in, his shoulder brushing hers as they both looked out over the crashing blue waves. "You ready to talk to me yet?"

Alexis had been tight-lipped about the entire incident that had brought her to their doorstep. Jack, the only one who would push her to explain, had allowed her the space she'd needed. "I screwed up."

"Because that's descriptive," he replied, bumping his shoulder against hers amicably. "How?"

"Remember Kate?"

"The detective? Your dad's muse?"

She nodded. "And his girlfriend."

"Right," Jack smiled. "You actually like this one."

Alexis chuckled. "I'm sure she doesn't think like that right now."

"Wait a second… You actually had a fight with someone?" Jack inquired. "Call the press!" He sobered. "So you don't like her?"

"No, no. I love her," the redhead answered on a sigh. "She's so good for my dad and she treats him like a real person, not a celebrity. She hates the press and she has her own life. She doesn't try to be my mother but she's always tried to be really supportive and always there if I need someone to talk to about girl stuff…"

"Then what happened?"

"I just lost it." She swallowed. "She got shot. A couple of months ago." And she could barely get the words out around the lump in her throat. Alexis wasn't sure if the memory of Kate's shooting, the blood, the time in the hospital and the uncertainty was what had formed the lump or flat out guilt.

Jack's arm wrapped sympathetically around her shoulders and Alexis allowed herself to lean against his comforting warmth. "Is she…?"

"She's fine now," Alexis reassured him quickly. "She says she's ready to go back in September. To the police and the precinct."

"Okay…"

"I just… It was a whole lot of stuff that piled up and… I kind of took it all out on her. I didn't mean it. Not really, anyway. Not the way I said it."

Jack didn't say anything for a moment, a pause to see if she would elaborate herself. Then, when it became obvious she wasn't going to, he prodded, "Tell me everything."

She didn't bother with the gossipy stuff, just jumped right to the relevant points. "After Kate was shot, my dad decided that for her recovery, they'd take a trip up the east coast, stopping at little cottages and inns until they made it to the Hamptons. Then, they'd spend the summer up here and do Kate's rehab and everything."

"With you so far."

"She was… she was touch and go for a while. They got who shot her but… it was hard. They had to do emergency surgery to save her life and get the bullet out and for a while there we weren't totally sure she was going to make it. When she woke up, when the doctors told us she'd be okay… I haven't seen my dad so relieved since he brought me home from the hospital after getting my appendix out."

"You told me he really loves her, so I'm not surprised," Jack interjected. "And you usually spend the summer here, so is it that surprising that they were coming up for the summer?"

Alexis shot him an exasperated look. "You're not helping."

His responding grin was wide, charming and utterly unrepentant. "Should I just shut up then?"

"Yes please."

"Shutting up then."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Alexis smiled despite herself, tipping her head to rest on Jack's shoulder. "This time is was different," she said, voice going soft. "They were gone in May. And I mean gone. Yeah, dad asked me to come, but it was May-"

"And it's right before exam time. May's crazy."

Alexis rolled her eyes. So much for shutting up. "They didn't come visit, Jack. Not once. They stayed up here, built their own little life their own love nest… And I was back in New York. God, my dad started seeing a freaking psychologist without telling me!"

Jack raised an eyebrow mostly out of habit than anything else. "Did he call?"

"All the time. I talked to him and I talked to Kate about her recovery. The Hamptons are only a couple of hours away, Jack. They didn't come down."

And that was the crux of the matter. Alexis recognized that when it came down to it, Kate hadn't actually made any drastic changes in her dad's life. She'd been influential long before things between the relationship started. If it wasn't for the detective, Alexis wasn't sure if her father would have ever gone back to writing. After coming to the point where he'd rather kill his character than write another novel, Alexis had been nervous about whether her father had lost his passion for writing. He'd looked lost after finishing _Storm Fall_. Then, Detective Kate Beckett had shown up, badge, gun and attitude impressive to Alexis, just as it was a breath of fresh air to her father.

Nikki Heat had kept him up for almost a week straight after he'd helped Kate close that case, and it was only when he realized that, when Alexis had pointed out how good it was to see him writing again, to hear him rant about his characters, plots, about what he was building, that he'd called in the favour to the mayor. The rest, well, it was pretty much history.

And it had become more and more obvious that Kate stayed with her father out of genuine affection. It wasn't about money or fame, like Alexis had accused her of. It was about fun and, as their relationship had developed and deepened, quite obviously love. To top it off, Kate was, even to this day, a big fan of her dad's books. Kate, unlike most of his other fans, recognized that Rick Castle was different from his literary and often more adventurous alter egos. Kate had never treated him like a celebrity, had never gone starry-eyed over fancy restaurants or shiny baubles. It was one of the things Alexis liked best about Kate.

But most importantly, Kate made her father happy.

It wasn't like Kate had really driven a wedge between Alexis and her father either. He never missed important things, like recitals or parent-teacher interviews. If Alexis asked her father to do something, he did it. If she needed him, he was there. She was still just important to her father, even if Kate's influence had grown over time. She was still Daddy's Little Girl and though she was no longer the sole reason her father got out of bed in the morning, rationally Alexis knew Kate hadn't taken her place. That didn't mean that there hadn't been times it had certainly felt like it though. The way he jumped when the phone rang, the way he spent more and more time at the precinct…

"You felt alone. It makes sense, Lex." Jack hugged her tighter for a moment. "Did you talk to your dad about any of this? You guys are close."

"I didn't," Alexis admitted. "I didn't tell him any of this. I was angry at him too, for leaving me behind. I blamed Kate, but I blamed my dad too. And now they're probably mad at me."

"They're your family, Lex. If I know anything about your dad you're probably already forgiven."

She chuckled. "Peapod mentality."

"Peapod?" Jack asked in confusion.

Alexis flashed her first real, genuine smile in seventy-two hours. She felt better, like she'd let off steam and had all of her worries legitimized. It was a step in the right direction. "How about I tell you all about Grams' peapod theory while you treat me to ice cream?"

Jack grinned with a shake of his head, standing and holding out his hand to help her off the sand. "The Castle cure-all." He shook his head affectionately as he pulled her up. "The things I do for you, Bunky."

"Don't call me Bunky," she grumbled. She felt better. And tomorrow she'd go home and talk to her dad.

* * *

That night, in a small elegant restaurant, Kate and Rick sat at a little table, lingering over coffee.

"We should have seen this coming, you know."

Rick looked up at Kate. He'd been engrossed by her hands, the elegance of them, the calluses, the things they'd done… "Alexis?"

"Yeah," she replied, glancing away. "We assumed she was going to treat this situation like an adult. She's still a kid."

"A mature kid."

Kate chuckled. "Yes, but a kid nonetheless. A kid who felt like she was losing her father." Kate took a deep breath. "Alexis doesn't need a new mother, and I've never treated her like I was going to take that position. But in the process I forgot that she's eighteen. She's an eighteen-year-old with college on the horizon and that means leaving home. There's a part of her that likes that idea, and there's a part of her that feels more comfortable with the idea that you won't be left by yourself, but there's still a part of her that wants to make sure she's not forgotten."

"I couldn't forget her."

"I know that," Kate assured him. "And she knows that, somewhere inside herself. But we forgot that she's used to having you all to yourself. We forgot that she's human, not perfect and we just assumed that she would talk to us."

"She should have talked to us."

"She talked to me," she reminded him. "And I tried to make shifts accordingly, but we're not perfect either. We all lost sight of things in this and Alexis suffered for it."

They fell silent when she was done and Rick watched her with an almost new-founded awe. She never, ever, ceased to amaze him. She was always unpredictable, no matter how much he seemed to learn about her. But more than that, the way she talked about Alexis, the concern and genuine worry in her voice when she spoke of how upset his teenage daughter was warmed his heart. Because it was so obvious how much Kate cared about Alexis, so obvious that she was willing to put Alexis in front of herself. But more than that, the fact that she _understood_ that Alexis was his world, the fact that she realized and took to heart that she had to share was something most women couldn't seem to understand.

Which was largely why he went on dates instead of dating. Alexis, however, had met Kate long before their relationship had blossomed and it was painfully obvious to Rick how much Alexis had come to mean to his significant other. It touched his heart because he could see a future he hadn't been able to see in a long time. A future with Kate and with Alexis, as soon as they got this little misunderstanding all straightened out.

He was a million miles away. Kate didn't mind that much, since she rarely saw him like this and she was content to do what he did so well, watch. After a while though, she reached out and Rick looked up when she settled her hand on his. She cocked her head to the side, studying him. "What's going on in that head of yours," she murmured, squeezing his hand.

His thoughts had shifted to their conversation, about how Kate had explained to him that she could understand, in some ways, Alexis' feeling of loss. She had awed him, floored him with how she'd taken it. She hadn't broken into tears, she hadn't demanded that he ensure his daughter go off to some far away college, she'd told him that she understood Alexis' anger and that, in time, everything would work out. He smiled as he took her left hand in both of his, separating her fingers until he singled out her ring finger. His thumb slid over the knuckles until it could rub against the bottom of it. Kate's breath caught.

He simply smiled, a warm, secretive turn of the lips. "Katherine Beckett," he murmured, his fingers continuing to stroke over her finger. "I'm going to marry you someday."

She stopped breathing all together. Her chest constricted with a curious combination of hope, happiness, trepidation and, much to her own surprise, disappointment. She took her time in replying, knowing that because he'd dropped it on her like a bomb, he didn't expect a response from her. But she had one for him, as soon as she remembered how to breathe again.

He switched the subject for her after giving her a moment to absorb his words and she hoped she managed to keep up her side of the conversation. It wasn't until they were walking up the large front walk of the Castle Hamptons estate that she found the words. She tugged his hand, just as the lock on the front door clicked open and he turned to her with a curious smile on his face. She leaned in, pressing her lips to his in a feather light kiss.

"You're it," she breathed.

He looked at her in amused confusion. "Is this a new game of tag?" Then his face went serious, though his eyes sparkled. "And if so, please let it be an adult version where the loss of clothing is involved."

She smiled despite herself, but shook her head. "No, not tag," Kate said quietly, looking down at their joined hands. "One and done, Rick. Remember that."

When he hadn't spoken after a moment, Kate forced herself to look up. His eyes held a myriad of emotions. It was like, she mused, she'd just given him the most precious gift. And, conceivably she had. She'd just told him exactly how much faith, how much of herself she was putting into his hands. She'd just told him she trusted him with her life, past, present and future included.

He leaned down, his kiss full of passion and promise, so much so that her toes curled. "Thank you," he whispered when he pulled away. He wrapped her tightly in his arms, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Someday," he said. "I'm going to give you everything."

"Well," she replied, forcing amusement into her tone when all she wanted to do was burst into girlish happy tears. "Maybe you could start by taking me to bed."

His eyes lit up. "Are you sure you don't want to play tag first?"

"Castle!"

But he dodged the slap she aimed at him and swept her into his arms. "Another time then," he said as he moved into the house and kicked the door shut behind them. He fixed his mouth to hers, kissing her with everything and the knowledge that she most certainly didn't seem that against the idea of marrying him. They were just stumbling up the stairs when the phone rang. He groaned.

"Ignore it."

Oh, that was tempting, mostly because it was usually him telling Kate to ignore the shrilly ringing phone, but _no one_ had the number for the Hamptons mansion, a deliberate act on his part. "Press pause, detective." He kissed her, his hand stroking slowly down her side once before heading for the kitchen. He was virtually humming as he picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Richard Castle?"

He didn't recognize the voice. "Who is this?"

"This is Julie Byatt of Mount Sinai Hospital."

Rick's forehead wrinkled. "Mount Sinai?"

"Yes, sir. Is your daughter Alexis Castle?"

"Yes." Panic welled up in him. "What happened?"

"Sir, your daughter was in a car accident."

* * *

_**So, I wasn't going to do it. Really I wasn't. I was going to rework it so that Alexis was completely safe. But, well, then I didn't. And at the risk of sounding mean, I actually kind of like the idea of Alexis in the hospital so soon after Kate. And I think I like the idea of Jack. Really.**_

_**I'm working on getting NY updated too. If you're a reader, I'm thinking of ending it soon and picking up later on in the timeline, but I'm looking for opinions. Either let me know in the review here, or let me know when I do get to updating NY. As soon as Lanie and Javier stop making out and actually do what I want them to do, it'll be posted as well. **_

_**This only has about 2 chapters left. I think. The hospital and the coming home. And then I have a surprise that I'm keeping secret. **_

_**Review? Mostly because I'd just really appreciate it. **_

_**And for those of you with PMs in my inbox, I'm getting to them. Really, I promise, I am.  
**_


	9. Chapter 9

Around the World Book Three

**Trouble in the Hamptons**

_Chapter 9  
_

. . . . .

Hospitals were not buildings Kate and Rick generally liked. Unfortunately for Kate, all of the time she'd spent in the hospital had been for injuries, whether on the job or off and more often than not she'd been fighting for her life. For Rick, it was the second time in six months he was in the hospital for a loved one and it was breaking his heart. The fact that it was Alexis, his little girl….

He gripped Kate's hand tighter.

"Hey," she said quietly, stroking her thumb over the top of it. "The doctors said she was awake when they brought her in, that's a good sign."

That was all the information they'd been given. Alexis had been in the passenger's side of the car when she and Jack were hit driving through an intersection. The driver had run a red light, according to the little information Kate had been able to find out from the officers that had accompanied both Alexis and Jack to the hospital. Jack was getting his broken arm set and had walked away with a concussion and other lacerations. The car had hit Alexis' side.

"Mr Castle?"

Both Rick and Kate looked up as Jack sat gingerly beside them, his parents hovering worriedly. "Hey Jack," Rick greeted, reaching over to squeeze the young man's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I should have been paying more attention. I should have seen the car coming, but she was telling some story about the NYU thing and I was laughing…"

"Whoa," Rick stopped him with a tremulous smile. "It's not your fault, okay? You didn't run the red."

Jack scratched absently at the bandage on his head and scowled when his mother slapped his hand away. "It feels like it. If I'd been paying attention I'd have seen the car."

"You don't know that," Anna Proctor spoke up, her voice mildly scolding. "You were going for ice cream, Jack."

"Ah, the Castle cure-all," Kate said with a smile.

Jack's smile was brief. "Yeah. We talked, about what's going on with you guys and… she looked like she was feeling better and said she'd tell me something about a peapod over ice cream… The light had just changed. We were just going through the intersection…"

"Alexis Castle?"

Rick's head shot over so fast, Kate briefly thought he'd gotten whiplash. She was just as nervous to hear about Alexis, just as antsy about being in a hospital, but the eerie calm she could pull out at a moment's notice had served her well. "Yes?"

"She's fine," the smiling doctor assured them as she stepped nearer. "I'm Allison Grant."

Rick shook her hand as he stood. "Fine?"

Jack had risen beside him and Allison gave them all a reassuring smile. "We're going to take her into surgery to set the bones in her arm from the break she's got and she has some serious internal bruising that we want to keep an eye on for twenty-four hours to make sure it doesn't develop into a bleed. She's got a concussion too and we're a little concerned about a spinal injury, but it's not likely."

The relief was palpable and Rick could feel it seep through every inch of his body. "She's headed to Stanford next week…"

"She'll be fine to move except the broken arm and barring any complications in the next twenty-four," Allison reassured. Then she turned her gaze to Jack. "I take it you're the one who was in the car with her?"

Jack stiffened. "Yes ma'am."

"She was asking about you," Allison replied. "Gave my nurse quite the scare when she tried to get up to find you."

Jack itched at the bandage again. "Um… can you tell her something?"

"I'll do you one better," Allison offered, "Why don't you and Dad come see her before we take her in for the surgery."

Kate smiled when Rick looked to her. "Go," she urged. "Give her a hug for me."

Rick and Jack followed Allison down the corridor and Allison pushed open a door for them a few feet down. Rick felt tears well in his eyes as he looked at his little girl, her flaming hair spread out over a white pillow. Her eyes were closed, but the hand not attached to IVs was twitching. "Hey Pumpkin."

Her blue eyes, usually so clear, were glazed with drugs when they opened. "Daddy. I'm okay, okay?" She sat up then turned her body. Jack and Rick were at her side in an instant and Rick offered her a gentle smile when she winced.

"They're going to do surgery on that elbow of yours," he told her quietly, brushing back her hair as he guided her back to a prone position. "But they said we could come see you before you went in."

Alexis' eyes fell closed as she turned her head to meet Jack's worried gaze. "I'm okay," she repeated.

"Sure you are," he said with forced laughter and grabbed on tight to the hand Alexis held out for him. They'd been friend since childhood, close, and it was killing him to see her in a hospital bed, all pale and broken.

"No really," she said, eyes falling close before she forced them open again. "I'm fine. It just… hurts sometimes."

Rick and Jack both chuckled slightly, and the tension eased. Rick looked up as Allison cleared her throat in the doorway. He squeezed Alexis' hand. "Pumpkin, they're going to set that arm for you, okay? We'll be here when you get out."

Jack and Rick stood together as they wheeled Alexis out of the room and Rick put his hand on the younger man's shoulder, squeezing slightly. "She's going to be okay. You didn't break her."

Jack relaxed further, offering a tentative smile. "Do you think the hospital will let us sneak some strawberry ice cream for when she wakes up?"

Rick grinned a plan already forming in his mind. "Watch and learn, Grasshopper. Watch and learn."

* * *

Alexis surfaced from her drug-induced haze slowly, shifting body parts and tensing muscles to try and gauge what was going on.

"Hey, Alexis."

Her eyes opened, and sure enough Kate sat at her bedside. She closed her eyes again. "Where's my dad?"

"He and Jack went out to find strawberry ice cream," the detective answered quietly, but with an affectionate smile and roll of her eyes. "Since that's where you and Jack were heading, they got it into their heads to bring the ice cream to you instead."

The redheaded teen laughed a little, then cleared her throat. "How bad is it?"

"The car hit you sideways, and at the back," Kate replied, her voice still low. "So you've got pins in your arm and a plate. They had to do surgery for that. You have a concussion. That's the only reason you're still here. They want to keep an eye on that and some abdominal bruising to make sure nothing ruptures."

Despite the hell that had been the last month with Kate, Alexis had always appreciated how candid the detective was. It brought back the onslaught of thoughts that had gotten her into the accident in the first place. "I didn't mean for it to happen."

"I know that. And I know your dad knows that too." There was a pause. "Alexis, what's going on?" Kate wanted to hear it from Alexis' mouth, not from her own guesses and assumptions and not in the middle of a fight she hadn't seen coming. She hadn't been prepared for Alexis' outburst the day before.

"It was _ice cream_," the redhead replied, with a tired roll of her eyes, absently itching at the new cast. "We were going for ice cream because I'd finally done some thinking after everything and I finally figured out what was going on with me because I _know_ you make my dad happy and I know my dad makes you happy and I know that you care about me a lot, but I was just getting so _frustrated_ with everything, with how Dad just bends to your every whim, and how he'll move things around for you, but it never seemed like he moved things around for me."

"You thought I was taking your place." The statement held no accusation, just matter-of-fact understanding.

"Sometimes, yeah," Alexis replied. "So…"

"You just wanted attention."

Alexis sniffled. "It sounds so stupid now," she said, the tears falling over her eyelashes. She sucked in a deep breath. "I just… I talked to Jack about it." A sob wrenched out of her chest. "I didn't mean for this to happen." Because she knew that everyone would have been worried.

Then she felt the bed dip and two hands rest on her shoulders. "Alexis, look at me."

Kate's eyes were sincere, sparkling and Alexis wondered for a moment if the strong detective was about to cry with her.

"We don't blame you. No one blames you. Your dad _definitely_ doesn't blame you. You were hit by a car, you didn't go out and OD at some club." She took a deep breath. "And I could _never ever_ take your place with your father. Do I love him, yes. Does he love me, yes. But you're still his little girl. You're still the pudgy little toddler whose picture he keeps in the desk drawer of his office. Those pictures in his brag book? They're of _you_."

Alexis sobbed again, her eyes falling closed, whether from the medication or the overwhelming emotion crashing on her head. They opened again when she felt a calloused thumb brush against her cheek. This time, as her eyes met Kate's, she knew the detective was on the verge of her own tears.

"You're his world, Alexis. I just got lucky with my inside pass to it all."

Then Alexis dove forward, ignoring the pain that jolted through her body and the bulky cast on her arm to wrap her arms around Kate as the sobs came in earnest. Thankfully, Kate just held on and, for the first time in a long time, Alexis took comfort in the familiar smell of Kate Beckett.

For her part, Kate reacted on instinct, wrapping her arms tightly around the sobbing girl, murmuring quietly in her ear. It was going to be okay. Everything was going to be okay. Eventually, Alexis' sobs died down but her hand stayed fisted in Kate's shirt as she lifted her head from the woman's shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"For crying? Don't be," Kate replied softly, reaching out to brush the moisture from the teenager's face. "But I think we need to get a few things straight."

Alexis looked at Kate with trepidation. "Now?"

"Now," Kate affirmed with a reassuring smile. "We can't do this again and I'm not the type to run from this kind of thing." Well, at least not when it wasn't a matter of the heart. She had, after all, run from Rick at first.

"Okay…"

"I'm not looking to be a parent to you," Kate said quietly. "You have two parents that you love and you don't need a third. I don't want to control your life. In some ways, I think of you as mine, you're part of my family, just like Lanie and Esposito and Ryan." She knew Alexis could draw the parallels herself. Kate held her family in high regard and she protected them with her life, blood-related or not.

"I knew that," Alexis replied, still embarrassed. She was a mature young woman for goodness sakes and not only had she just utterly shattered on Kate's shoulder, but she'd been downright mean to the detective prior to her storming back to New York. "I know that."

Kate smiled. "Good. Then we need to set some sort of 'ground rules'."

"Just like you do with Dad," Alexis teased, her small smile widening when Kate's did.

"Kind of." The woman paused. "I can't read your mind, Alexis. I can tell when you're upset, I can tell when you're angry, but I can't read your mind. So if you want to spend time with just your dad, all you have to do is say so. And if you want, I can talk to him about turning off his phone when you guys are hanging out."

Alexis shook her head vehemently. "No, no, I can do that." The redhead looked at Kate earnestly. "I want to do that."

"Okay," Kate agreed easily. She reached out and brushed the girl's hair back. "You don't have too much longer before college," she said quietly. "And I'm going back to work soon. Things will be back to normal. Well…"

Alexis chuckled because normal was a relative term when it came to the Castles. "You don't think he's mad at me, do you?"

"No," the detective reassured immediately. She didn't have to think about it. "He's not mad at you, Honey. I don't think he understands quite yet, because I'm not sure he knows what it's like to feel like you're sharing a parent, but he'll listen. You know he will."

They smiled at each other for the moment, both glad that some sort of equilibrium had been restored before Alexis yawned and Kate chuckled.

"They give you good meds at hospitals," she said as Alexis' eyes fluttered. The detective had been starting to wonder how long it would be until her medication kicked in again and she stroked the redhead's hair. "Go to sleep. I'm sure your dad will be here when you wake up again and you know how much energy he takes. And on an ice cream sugar high."

The teenager laughed as her eyes fell closed. She forced them open though because there was something she wanted to say. "Kate?"

"Yeah, Sweetie."

"I'm glad you're here," Alexis said, her words slurring slightly. "I like having you around."

"I like being around," the detective murmured in response as tears pooled in her eyes. "Go to sleep."

Alexis smiled as her body went limp. "Night Kate."

Kate stayed sitting on Alexis' bed, stroking her red hair for a few more minutes while she composed herself. She smiled though, when she felt eyes on her. Rick stood in the doorway, his arms folded as he leaned against the frame.

"She woke up but the drugs put her back under," she said, knowing the information would carry to the door. She listened as his steps moved closer until he was right beside her, his side pressed against hers. He slipped a hand under her chin, tilting her head up so he could kiss her breathless.

"What was that for?" Kate asked.

"For being you," Rick replied. "You're an amazing woman."

She chuckled quietly. "Not that I'm against complements or anything, but what did I do?"

"You were you," he said simply. "The magnificent, extraordinary, _amazing_ Kate Beckett."

She shook her head, resigning herself to this being one of his little secrets. "It was exactly what we thought," Kate said, grasping Alexis' delicate hand gently. "She just got… overwhelmed. And she missed you. I know it doesn't really make sense but-"

Rick silenced her by squeezing her shoulder gently. His thumb moved rhythmically against her collarbone as he took in the two women he loved most. "It makes sense. Kind of." He shrugged when she shot him a curious raise of her eyebrow. "Like you said, she's a kid. And she's my baby."

He sighed and fixed his eyes back on his sleeping daughter. "I got wrapped up in making sure I didn't lose you and that's on me. We got wrapped up in the Hamptons, in your rehab, in our recovery and that's on us. But… she _is _seventeen, and we're not clairvoyant. It's…."

"A communication breakdown," Kate finished softly. She understood what he was getting at. As much as they both adored Alexis, as much as there was a big part of their predicament that was their fault, it was also, to a certain degree, on Alexis.

"Yeah," he breathed, sliding in behind her. One hand reached for Alexis'. The other arm wrapped around Kate's waist.

She leaned into the embrace, covering the hand holding Alexis' with her own, and entwining her free hand with his on her hip. "We're going to be okay," she said.

And it was the first time in a while, they both truly believed it.

* * *

_The first thing I have to do is justify (which isn't the right word, but it's late, so it's the one I'm using) the reason this took so long. For one thing, I was fed up with it. It happens in my life. For another, massive move and return to school so settling in, seeing friends, getting everything organized, was a bit of a brat. Third, because I was fed up with it, nothing would write itself. I'm still struggling with NY, which is a pain, so I'm super happy I managed to get this up. _

_Having said that, I do hope that it flows. I've edited it three times on three different occasions (pre managing to get the end worked out) from it's original draft (which did have Alexis more severely injured than here, which is more Rory and Jess a la Gilmore Girls without the extraneous Jess drama), so slips are my fault completely and if you find one, I apologize! There comes a time where you go to read something one more time and your eyes cross.  
_

_Bad news though? There's only one chapter left. With these chapters being so much longer than the previous ones in the series, it means less chapters. Good news? Since we're following little baby steps of the relationship... well, I think you guys are smart enough to see where I'm going with that!_

_Reviews are candy, chocolate and a good hug all wrapped in one. Especially after the havoc and insanity of the past week. And I promise this time I'll be better about replying._


	10. Chapter 10

Around the World Book Three

**Trouble in the Hamptons**

_Chapter 10  
_

. . . . .

Alexis was released almost forty-eight hours after being admitted to the hospital and both father and daughter - and Kate, though she was less obvious about it - were ecstatic about her return to the nest. They'd settled back into the house with a much smoother routine than the previous three weeks.

Kate sighed in contentment as she cuddled against Rick late one night as they sat out on the back patio. She felt like everything was starting to come together again. They were moving Alexis into Princeton soon – a fact that Rick was still unaware of – and she was slated for her mandatory post-shooting evaluations on Monday. Despite how nice the impromptu and mandatory vacation had been, she knew they were both antsy for her to return to work.

"Hey guys."

They both looked up as Alexis stepped outside. Kate smiled, recognizing the slightly anxious look on the teenager's face. She knew that beyond the fact that Alexis hadn't told Rick about Princeton, the father-daughter pair also hadn't talked about the bigger issues. From the nervous expression on the redhead's face, Kate knew what Alexis wanted to talk about didn't require her presence. In fact, she would bet that as far as she and Alexis had come over the last couple of days, the teenager didn't want her to hear this particular discussion. She threw a smile at Alexis and kissed Rick's cheek as she stood.

"I'm going to head in," she told him when he caught her hand.

"What?" he asked, brow knitting in confusion. "Why?"

Kate just smiled as she headed inside and Alexis took her place. Rick looked down at her, well aware when something was bothering his little girl. "What's on your mind, Pumpkin."

"I'm sorry, Dad," she said quietly, tilting her head to look up at him. "I screwed up."

Though he could be dense, he wasn't completely stupid. He knew what Alexis was referring to. He pressed a kiss to her hair. "It's okay."

"It's not, really," Alexis replied. "Kate's special to me too and I treated both of you like crap. I didn't have the right to yell at you guys."

"Sweetheart, you're still a kid," Rick told his daughter, the same thing Kate had told him repeatedly after the incident. "You act so strong and so mature all the time that we forget that. Kate and I are as much to blame as you are."

The redhead tucked herself against her father, curling up as best she could with the cast between them. "Can we... set ground rules, or something?"

"Of course, Sweetie," her father answered immediately, though Alexis could hear the confusion in his voice. "Rules forever or rules for the next week?"

"Um... that's something else I need to talk to you about?"

"Okay..." Now he was nervous.

"I, um... I never accepted Stanford."

"What?"

Alexis winced, both in pain and in general. "I never accepted Stanford?"

Rick looked down at his daughter sternly. "You asked for your tuition money and you said you paid it, so where did that money go?"

"Princeton," Alexis replied in a small voice.

Rick's brow furrowed. "Princeton? Your safety school?"

Alexis blew out a heavy breath. "Stanford's a fantastic school, Dad and I know that, I just..."

"Sweetheart, we talked about this," Rick said quietly. "You need to go to your dream school."

The redhead looked down. "I don't want to be half way across the country," she said.

"Is this about everything with Kate?" he asked, slipping his fingers under his daughter's chin so he could meet her eyes. "You've wanted to go to Stanford ever since you decided _against _going to Oxford."

She was still chewing her lip. "I made the decision long before things with Kate."

He narrowed his eyes at his progeny. "She knew."

"I told her," Alexis agreed. "But I made her swear not to say anything to you."

"You two are ganging up on me!" Rick exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air dramatically. "What next? Are you two plotting on how to empty my bank account?"

"I don't think we'd really have to plot so much as ask," Alexis responded wryly, but with a cheeky grin. Her father couldn't say 'no' to her on a good day, let alone if it was both her and Kate. The women hadn't used the tactic often, but it had been ridiculously effective when used.

He glared, but it was enough of an acknowledgement that Alexis was right. He sobered again though, looking her straight in the eye. "Are you sure Princeton is what you want?"

"Yes," Alexis said, nodding and with conviction in her voice. "I like the campus, I like the atmosphere and I like that it's not across the country."

"Then Princeton it is." He kissed her head and pulled her closer so her head rested on his chest. Alexis cuddled in as tight as she could, wrapping both of her arms around her father's waist. "I'm going to miss you, you know."

Alexis looked up as best she could from her position. Tears welled in her eyes and Rick reached up to brush them away. "I'm going to miss you too. A lot."

They sat there, looking out over the ocean and at the stars. He hadn't realized he'd dozed off until he felt a soft pair of lips against his forehead and cheek. Kate stood over him, though leaning down so she was close, an affectionate smile on her face.

"There you are," she whispered. "I was afraid I was going to have to go get cold water."

"Everything okay?" he asked sleepily, shifting slightly and remembering Alexis. "Is she asleep?"

"You both were. The boys are going to _love_ the picture."

"Blackmail photos, Kate? I thought you were above that," he teased. Things felt normal now, back to the playful banter, back to the honesty and openness they'd taken months to cultivate. He no longer felt like she was pulling away.

"No way," she contradicted as her hand came up to brush hair out of Alexis' face. "But you guys need to get inside. Sleeping out here is going to be cold and painful."

Alexis woke just as they were trying to determine the best way to get her inside. After a quick goodnight, Rick and Alexis headed for her room while Kate headed upstairs. She ran a hot bath and climbed in with a happy sigh. It was nice to have her family back. It was nice to have harmony. It was going to be different when they moved Alexis to Princeton in a couple of days, but this equilibrium they'd managed to find warmed Kate's insides.

"Want company?"

She looked up to see Rick poking his head through the door and grinned. "If you don't mind smelling a bit girly. I went with the fruits tonight."

He started stripping down. "Girly or not, you in a bathtub is something I'm not stupid enough to turn down."

She waited until they were both comfortable in the tub, Rick behind her, his hands stroking over her wet skin. She traced absent patterns on his thighs with her fingernails as her head lolled back against his shoulder.

"Did you and Alexis have a good talk?"

"It's one we should have had sooner," he replied. "But we did. She wants to go to Princeton."

"She's going to Princeton," Kate corrected with a chuckle.

"I can't believe you knew and didn't tell me!"

"She told me not too," she replied indignantly.

Instead of replying with some sort of argumentative comeback, he said, "I'm glad she trusts you."

"I am too," she answered. "And you know that if it was something important I would have told you. But Princeton was something she had to tell you on her own time. Wasn't my place."

They sat in silence for a few moments, just enjoying the bath and being together. Eventually, Kate broke the silence.

"So I was thinking," she started quietly.

Rick kissed the top of her head. "You do that well. What stroke of genius did you come up with this time?"

"That it's going to be weird to go back to my own apartment next week." She focused the tile wall opposite her.

"Go on."

Kate shrugged. "I'm kind of used to having you around. Sharing a bed, sharing the paper, making enough coffee for both of us… I kind of like it." There was a pause, then, "A lot."

Rick pulled a hand out of the water, cupping her chin and turning her head so he could look her in the eye. "What are you thinking?"

"That it's starting to seem rather useless to have two places."

She saw the surprise flit over his face and couldn't help the smile that quirked the corner of her mouth. Rick had been the one to take the first steps in all of the major milestones in their relationship, but this was one step she'd taken. They hadn't even really talked about it and he hadn't been dropping hints, but to Kate, it felt right. She wasn't going anywhere, she had no plans to end things with Rick and the thought of 'one and done' had been floating through her head since he'd told her he wanted to marry her.

"We've been living together for three months," she said softly. "We've worked out a lot of growing pains of sharing the same space. It seems right, Rick."

"It does," he agreed quietly, amazement in his gaze. "You really want to move in with me?"

She nodded. "For one thing, I think it would help Alexis feel better. She knows I'm not going anywhere but I think she would feel better if she knew I was going to be constantly around, in the precinct and at home."

"Home, I like the sound of that."

"Plus, there's no rational reason for me to be paying rent on an apartment when I'm rarely there." Because even before her shooting she'd been spending fewer nights in her own place and more in the loft.

"Terribly logical."

Kate could virtually feel the excitement coursing over his skin as his touches grew firmer against her stomach, trailing lower over her hips and the insides of her thighs. "What do you think?"

"I think if you're saying we should move in together that I couldn't agree more," he replied.

She knew her smile was wide and bright as she kissed him. "I'm saying we should move in together."

She squeaked when he slid his hands under her arms and almost fell over as he tried to turn her around. She laughed as water splashed over the edge of the tub until she was straddling his legs, his hands spanning her lower back. He pulled her into him, kissing her with flurry and passion and excitement and though she continued to laugh, she arched against him as he put pressure on her spine. Her breasts pressed against his chest and it didn't take a genius to see how he was planning on celebrating this decision. He paused though, stroking her face with gentle fingertips.

"I'm so damned lucky."

She grinned. "Yeah," she said as she leaned down to ravage his mouth. She pulled away and cupped his cheeks in her hands. "But I am too."

* * *

_So, technically this is the end, but with their decision to move in and my allusions to moving Alexis into her dorms, I'm toying with an extra chapter kind of addressing both move-ins. Now that I've written them, it seems kind of wrong to just leave this go as it is, even though I LOVE this as the last chapter. _

_Thus, I leave the decisions in your capable hands dear readers! Want to see the move in? Or just leave it here and go work on something else? _

_Though, just to make sure you guys have all the facts, this isn't the end of the series. For those of you who read NY you know there's a sequel that will be in the works over there. There's one here too. They're going to Europe. But that's all I'm going to say. Well, that and the fact that it won't be up any time in the near future. School's back up and running and it takes most of my life, plus I have to think of my one-chapter-a-day Christmas fic and get that kind of started so I'm not freaking swamped come December 1st. But I really am having a good time tracing the little steps in their relationship thus far and I have no intentions of ending the series here. Well, and I'm too excited about the idea for the next one to leave it just sitting in my notebook!_

_Just in case though, I do owe you guys all the praise in the world. Writers aren't writers without people who read and you guys have been pretty awesome about reviewing too. I appreciate it, I really do, and I wish I was so much better about taking the time to reply. I know I promised I would last time, and I haven't. Which makes me suck, in some ways. But to those of you who have reviewed, ESPECIALLY those that reviewed every chapter, I'm in your debt. Really. The fact that you guys take the time to leave a note, whether it's all sunshine and ponies or pointing out some of the flaws, I treasure them. So thank you. Very very much. _


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